Same to you (wi' bells on)
by Brooklyn Blue
Summary: "How many times are we going to break each other's heart leaving one another, before we realise that maybe—maybe we'd be better off together?" - Flash forward to Christmas 2020. Michelle is back, but is she going to stay?
1. Chapter 1

"Is she here, yet?" Carla practically danced into the back room with a huge grin on her face, only for it to fall slightly when she found it almost completely empty.

"Oh my god, it's like being with a toddler. _'Is she here yet? Is she here, yet?'. _She'll get here when she gets here."

"I was only asking! They're half an hour late."

"It's late night shopping now, isn't it? The motorways will be rammed." Kate turned from the kitchen counter where she'd been making tea, snatching up her phone and waving it in front of Carla's face.

"Three texts you've sent me in the last hour."

"Yeah, well, Johnny wasn't answering and I think her phone's out of charge."

"He'll be driving."

"I should have gone to pick her up." Carla grumbled, flopping down onto one of the kitchen chairs. She picked up the mug Kate had just set down and took a swig.

"You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago, she'd have been stuck at the airport waiting on you to turn up." Kate laughed, snatching the mug back and cradling it protectively in her hands. "What are you all dolled up for? Or, _who?_"

The young brunette eye'd her sister, who had walked in with loosely curled hair. It brought out the fresh highlights she'd begged Maria to put in for her when she found herself unable to get an appointment due to leaving it right up until the last few days before Christmas. After some relentless pushing and the promise of a hefty tip, Maria invited Carla over to her flat despite her maternity leave and agreed to style her hair. With her purse considerably lighter and the shoulder of her blouse covered in a three-month old's drool who'd started to act up when Maria was only halfway through the foils, she'd left Victoria Court feeling almost brand new. She'd have to change that shirt.

"I'm not dolled up." Carla shrugged, though her eye shadow was darker than usual, making her green eyes pop and she looked more bronzed than when Kate had last seen her. Even as she spoke, she'd pulled out a compact mirror and was fussing over the gloss on her lips, wiping away imaginary smears. Catching the expression on her sister's face, she snapped it closed. "Well it's Christmas isn't it? It's nice to make a bit of extra effort. You might want to try it." She teased, however after a year of travelling in the sun her sister was the very definition of glowing with a deep tan and freckles scattered across her nose.

"You're wearing those designer trousers." Kate accused, peering under the table. "And your best boots. Is that top new?"

"Flamin' 'ell, Kate, what's with the inquisition? I just liked the outfit." Carla defended, self-consciously rubbing her hands over her leather-clad thighs. "I've just had my hair done, I was hardly going to throw on a tracksuit and have done with."

Kate gave her a knowing look. It was cocky; the smirk on her face, eyebrows raised, a sarcastic nod.

"No wonder you were late over, how long did it take you to _spray _them on?" She continued to torment her, nudging her beneath the table with her foot.

Carla didn't retort, she was glancing over her shoulder with a slight frown.

"Those decorations are terrible. Who put them up? They're half down, already." Carla got up from her seat and went to inspect the strings of lights and tinsel. What had originally been wound around photo frames were drooping miserably and the _Merry Christmas_ banner that was hung across the wall was drastically lop-sided.

"I think Jenny did it after polishing off a bottle of white. Or two." Kate laughed, standing up to help her sister rearrange the display. Carla grabbed one of the chairs and dragged it over towards the wall. She stepped up onto it and began to fuss with the banner.

"Grab the other side for me."

"Why are you messing about? It's only the back room, no one cares."

"Because I want it to look nice." Carla pointed to the chair Kate had vacated and the younger brunette reluctantly climbed into it, taking the other side of the sign. "Right, higher on your end, I think."

"What's the matter with you? You've not sat still all day."

"Nothing, I'm just excited that's all." It was true, she'd woken feeling as though it was Christmas day already. She'd spent all day helping out in the cafe with a grin on her face and skipped over to the Rover's thinking her lateness would mean she was already there waiting.

"And a tad bit obsessive." Kate shook the banner defiantly, causing Carla to drop her end completely.

"Kate!" Jumping down from the chair, she let out a tut of annoyance and Kate got down beside her, not bothering to muffle her laughter.

"You're acting like the Queen's coming for Christmas."

"I want things to be perfect, you know after last Christmas, after the last year really." Carla sighed, sitting back down and letting her end of the string slip from her fingers. "I've missed her."

"You text each other every single day." Kate laughed, giving her sister a gentle nudge.

"I know, I know. It's just not the same as having her here."

"How long's it been?"

"I went over eight months ago for the funeral." Carla sighed, biting her lip. "I just can't wait to see her properly."

Kate suddenly snatched up a stream of tinsel and threw it around Carla, pulling her in and delivering over exaggerated kisses against her cheek, proceeding to smother her in hugs. "So you can give her a big smooch and tell her _'oh I've missed you so much, you're my bestest ever friend in the whole while world and even though we're practically married let's go over to the factory so they can actually stitch us together and I know my little sister has come just back after being away for over a year but stuff her—"_

"Alright, alright!" Carla was trying to fend her off, leaning away from the kisses that she was sure would rub off her foundation. "Kate, my hair!"

The younger woman finally released her and though she dissolved into laughter, she took pity and helped her rearrange her curls so they elegantly framed her face once more.

"You haven't _just _come back; you've been annoying me for a month already." Carla huffed, though there was a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. She picked up the banner once more and together they attempted to stick it back onto the wall.

"Nope, not straight," the older woman commented, after jumping down from her chair again and taking a step back to examine the adjustment.

"My thoughts exactly after kissing Benjamin Blake in high school." Kate grinned, causing Carla to let out a bark of laughter. She beckoned her sister to join her and they scrutinised it together, tilting their heads to the side.

"I don't know, what do you reckon?"

Before Carla could open her mouth to reply, a voice from the doorway answered for her.

"I reckon a bit lower on the left-hand side."

The older woman whipped around with a gasp. She was _there_, right there in the doorway; cheeks pink with cold despite the coat and scarf she was bundled up in, speckled with rain, a shiny black suitcase by her feet. She had the widest grin across her lips and let out a shout of laughter at the delighted shriek that left Carla's.

"_Baby!" _Carla flew to her, almost knocking her off her feet and then pulling her into an embrace so tight she was nearly lifted off them.

"You're crushing me!" Michelle laughed, though she actually did lift Carla from the ground as she returned the hug just as fiercely, thrilled at the welcome she'd received. She held her tightly against her chest, combing her fingers through her highlighted tresses while they swayed together.

Kate was watching the exchange with a bemused expression on her face, waiting patiently for her turn to greet Michelle which didn't look like it was coming any time soon.

"Oh, watch her hair Michelle. She'll kill you if you mess it up."

Michelle finally pulled back so she could get a proper look at her, though kept her arms loosely around Carla's waist. "Wow, look at you!" She laughed, letting out a wolf whistle. She took Carla's hand and gently whirled her around, examining the outfit fully. "You look stunning. I thought we were just having a night in the Rovers?"

"We are," Carla shrugged, though looked pleased at Michelle's compliment, her own face slightly flushed. She lifted her hands to smooth down her curls, but Michelle got there first; she arranged them back to frame her face, separating the ones that had become tangled together.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to mess it up."

"I don't care." Carla laughed, batting Michelle's hands away from her hair. "I can't believe you're here, finally." She whispered, pulling her into another crushing hug. "Do you know how much I've missed you?"

Michelle was unable to stop the tears that pricked the corners of her eyes. She cleared her throat in an attempt to rid herself of the lump that gathered there. Carla must have sensed it because she pulled back, her face falling at her teary expression.

"Hey, hey, come on. What's wrong, darling?" Carla reached up and cupped her cheeks, gasping slightly at the icy feel of her skin. "You're flipping freezing, come and sit down!"

Michelle allowed Carla to lead her over to the sofa. "Nothing, I've just missed you too." She sniffed, quickly wiping under her eyes and accepting a hug from Kate. "Hiya sweetheart, are you alright? You've got a right tan on you."

"Yeah, I've been in Thailand since you last saw me."

"I'd kill for a bit of that weather! You'll have to show me the pictures later." Michelle sat down under Carla's persistent tugging, allowing the other woman to help her out of her coat, which was damp with drizzle. Carla wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed hers gently like she was trying to generate some warmth.

"The heating's on full whack so you'll be okay soon. Do you want a hot drink?"

"Look at her, she's turned into a right little mother hen since Nina started living with Roy." Kate grinned, perching on the arm of the sofa.

"How are they both coping?"

"Yeah, they're great. She's back from Uni for Christmas so I'm staying here too." Carla smiled, placing her warm hand over Michelle's cold one. She'd forgotten completely she'd just offered to switch the kettle on. The other woman looked touched at the gesture; she leant in and let her head rest against Carla's for a moment. It had been a tough and confusing year for both of them, every tear they'd shared over the phone had Carla counting down the days until she returned.

"How's Aunty Helen doing?" Kate asked, looking hesitant to broach the subject but genuinely concerned. Michelle turned to Kate and offered her a sad smile. She reached out and took hold of her hand.

"Yeah, she's okay. Bearing up." She nodded, though worry flickered in her eyes. "She just wants a quiet Christmas; a couple of her friends and my Aunt are all getting together." Michelle bit her lip, dropping her gaze from Kate's and instead focusing down at her lap. "I felt guilty leaving, but she insisted. She did think about coming herself but I think she wanted to be in Ireland for the first Christmas without—She wanted to be able to visit him—" Her voice cracked and she let go of the other two's hands so she could quickly swipe beneath her eyes. "I went to see him before I left, I took a wreath to his grave and told him I loved him." The tears came then before she could stop them.

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered, her own eyes glistening. She hadn't wanted to upset her. Sliding from the arm of the chair, she placed her hand on Michelle's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"No, don't be daft. _I'm _sorry, I didn't want to make everyone miserable."

"You haven't!" Carla insisted; she'd managed to keep her composure, but she looked devastated. "He's your dad, 'Chelle, you're allowed to talk about it."

"I'll go and make that drink." Kate decided, giving Michelle a final pat on the shoulder before making her way through to the kitchen.

Carla raised her hand to the other woman's face, using her thumb to brush away the tear that had fallen down her cheek. The gesture caused Michelle's lower lip to tremble, her eyes filling once more.

"Hey, come here," The older woman spoke gently, opening her arms and allowing Michelle to lean into them. She pressed her cheek against the top of her head, holding her close. It's what she'd missed being able to do. Hearing her cry down the phone even in the days after the funeral and not being able to do anything other than hush her down the line had been just as hard as the times she'd found herself craving comfort from the younger woman and her face in the screen had had to suffice. But now Michelle nuzzled into her and Carla stroked her hair, kissed the top of her head, soothed her the way she'd wanted to so many times before over the last year. "I love you, you know? I know I don't say it enough."

"You text me it every day." Michelle smiled against her skin, a hum of laughter escaping her lips. "I love you, too, you soppy mare." She stayed against her a moment longer, enjoying the comfort as much as Carla was content in providing it. A soothing floral musk infiltrated her sense when she took a deep, calming breath. As much as she'd enjoyed being away, there was something here that made it feel like she was home. "You smell nice."

"I should think so, as well." Carla laughed, flipping her hair back to the scent was more detectable. "It's the new _Chanel."_

"Seriously?" Michelle broke their embrace as she sat up, her eyes widening. "That must have set you back hundreds."

"Well, you've got to treat yourself, haven't you? She shrugged. There was a flash of disappointment in her eyes, a slight pout that formed across her lips though it disappeared so quickly it was hard to tell it had been there at all.

Michelle took in her attire once more, a slight frown setting into her features. "Are you expecting someone tonight, or something?" She nodded behind her, gesturing towards the bar.

"What—No? Why does everyone keep saying that? I just wanted to look nice!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wish I hadn't flamin' bothered, now, all the flack I keep getting for it."

"Aw, come on, I'm sorry. You _do _look nice." Michelle affirmed. She brought her hands up to the collar of the other woman's blouse, playing with the satiny tie at the neckline. "More than nice," she continued, when Carla still looked stony. "This outfit is stunning, and you, well," Michelle moved higher and allowed her fingertips to rest below her jaw, "you are gorgeous."

Carla pressed her lips together, dipping her head slightly. She wanted to look annoyed a little longer but couldn't stop the grin that formed across her face. "Stop it." She mumbled, despite the pleased flutter in her stomach. Her cheeks felt warmer than before and when she dragged her eyes back up to meet Michelle's, she saw them shining with sincerity. Her head was tilted slightly and _that _smile Carla suddenly realised she'd never quite appreciated enough. She wanted to reach out and touch her, but just as she raised her hand, the clearing of a throat jolted her from her thoughts.

"I've, er, got your drinks here." Kate set two mugs down on the table. It looked like she was trying to stifle laughter.

"What's tickled you?" Michelle asked, her brow quirking.

"Nothing," Kate shrugged, though she was positively beaming. "You look cosy."

"Hey, it was hand-knitted this." She gestured to the cropped, cream, cable knit jumper she had on, holding out her arms.

Kate burst out laughing, causing both women to shoot her questioning looks.

"What is wrong with you?"

The young brunette was saved from answering by a voice in the hall.

"_Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring tingle tingling too!" _Jenny sang, rattling something in her hand that sounded like it was covered in bells.

"_Come on it's lovely weather for a sleighride together, with you!" _Johnny finished, the pair of them visible through the doorway, though neither of them seemed to have noticed it was wide open. Jenny was holding up an awful clump of plastic mistletoe, studded with tiny silver bells. She shook it over Johnny's head and he grinned.

"Merry Christmas." Jenny smirked, giggling when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Same to you, wi' bells on." He grinned, dipping his head towards her.

Kate made a gagging noise, clamping her hands over her mouth while Carla watched the pair looking horrified.

"Ooh, speaking of. Sean and Emma said they're fine for another hour or so…" She trailed off, leaning up to whisper something in his ear which certainly came as pleasing news.

"Whoa!"

"Enough!"

Carla and Kate cried out at the same time; Kate had actually covered her ears.

"Oh hiya 'Chelle, love." Jenny peered around, nodding to her. "We've got a Christmas quiz in an hour, help yourself to my nuts." She offered, pointing towards the bar before turning back to her husband. "Right, come on Rudolph! Giddy'up!" She tapped his backside and the pair of them scarpered off upstairs, Jenny's high pitched squeals of laughter carrying down.

Kate had her eyes closed, her head in her hands. "No one speak to me. I think I'm going to be sick."

Michelle was overcome by a fit of giggles, manly brought on by the sight of both Kate and Carla's mortified faces.

"Well, I was actually going to unpack but there's no way I'm following those two upstairs. Drinks?"

Carla was on her feet in an instant, nodding vigorously. "Large ones."

**|X|X|X|**

Jenny had gone all out in the Rovers, this year. The place was decked out like a mini grotto. It was an explosion of glitter and fairy lights; garlands of frosted tinsel studded with shiny red berries lined every available surface, draped over the booth dividers and ceilings. Michelle counted three Christmas trees, kitted out with baubles and snowflakes and golden stars. The duke box was playing cheesy hits although thankfully the noise of the punters drowned it out. The bar itself held dishes of nuts, crisps, olives and dates. Small bowls of chocolates in brightly wrapped foils were placed on every table and mini baskets of bright red Poinsettia's acted as festive centrepieces along with fake candles with bulbs that flickered unconvincingly.

"Blimey, she's kicked it up a notch. It's not even Christmas eve."

"She's been doing an event every day for the week before Christmas. Apparently, it's to bring the community together and stop people from being lonely." Kate shrugged, helping herself to one of the chocolates.

"Ah, that's actually nice." Michelle nodded. She might be hellishly annoying at times, but it was a thoughtful gesture. The landlady herself was stood at the bar chatting to several punters, shaking bowls of snacks at them encouragingly. Ryan was among the gaggle, he'd given them a wave but after Michelle's very public and very affectionate greeting in front of the friends he was out with, he'd kept his distance.

"Jenny, where's dad gone?" Kate asked. Johnny had disappeared after finishing the quiz.

"He's crashed out. He was feeling tired after—"

"_No!"_ Carla cut across her, covering her ears.

"After an early start and picking Michelle up!" Jenny shook her head, pointing a chastising finger at them all. "Your minds, the lot of you!"

Carla wrinkled her nose and went back to the small glass of red she was nursing.

"Come on, what have I missed while being away?" Michelle asked, looking at the pair expectantly.

"You spoke to Carla every other day; you probably know more than me." Kate shrugged.

"I still wish you'd have told me about you and Peter, properly. Why didn't you say anything when you came over for the funeral? You were so upset—"

"Yeah, I was. I loved Barry too. He was always the one prepared to accept me. And I was upset for you, 'Chelle. It broke my heart seeing you go through that after everything else." Carla reached down for her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I didn't need to bring any of that up."

"You still shouldn't have coped alone—"

"But I wasn't, was I? I had everyone back here. I had you on FaceTime. It wasn't like last time, 'Chelle, we kind of just... drifted." Carla admitted. "You know I think I felt like I needed the familiarity but once my head was straight it was just like... Like it wasn't the same, you know? The spark wasn't there, we went so hard the first time around we'd just burnt out. It felt like I was with him for the sake of it, because I didn't have the factory, or a proper job and I didn't know what else to do with myself."

"Is that what you told him?" Michelle asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Carla didn't look upset, but she imagined it hadn't been a particularly comfortable or easy conversation to have.

"Of sorts. I just told him how I felt. I think I'll always love him; I just wasn't _in _love with him. Not like before. And it wasn't fair to either of us."

Michelle nodded in understanding, then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the other woman, pulling her into a tight hug.

"What's that for?" Carla laughed against her shoulder but returned the gesture by squeezing her affectionately.

"I'm proud of you."

"So now you're up to speed—" Kate's voice snapped them back into the scene; she was looking semi annoyed at having been forgotten about while the other two were caught up in their own world; but there was that same hint of amusement across her features that she was trying to hide. "— I've been saying to Carla maybe it's time she started looking for a bit of Christmas magic." She finished with a smirk.

Carla started to laugh, but then clocked the look on Kate's face. "Oh, you were being serious?"

"Yeah! You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy!"

Kate rolled her eyes and glanced around the pub. Other than the regulars, there were few new faces. She nodded over to the far corner where there was one man sat alone, probably waiting for someone judging from the way he kept checking his phone. He glanced up to find the three women staring at him and gave them a small nod, before dropping his gaze back to his screen.

"He's not bad." Kate reasoned, though clearly clutching at straws. "He looks quite nice."

"And about twelve." Michelle put in, shaking her head. "Seriously?"

"You're unbelievable, you. Do you really think I'm that much of a sad case?" Carla huffed, taking a sip from her glass before rounding on Kate. "I've told you; I'm not looking. And when I am, you'll definitely be the last to know."

Kate narrowed her eyes at Carla, though her shoulders dropped in defeat. "I suppose he does look a bit of a wet wipe. You don't need someone like that."

"And I don't need you picking for me, I'm perfectly capable of doing so myself."

"Yeah but you always go for the wrong kind of people." Kate insisted. "You need someone who's going to put you in your place when you're out of order, but only out of kindness."

"You what? When am I ever out of order?"

Michelle, who had been trying to contain her amusement at Kate's comment, laughed out loud at Carla's response. "Only about six times a day, darling. Don't worry you're better than you used to be."

"No, you know what I mean though! You can be quite... Stubborn." Kate continued, biting her lip slightly when Michelle muttered something under her breath about understatements. "You've got to go for someone who brings out the best in you, who doesn't let you wallow and knows how to calm you down when you're going off the rails."

"Remind me not to let you fill out my dating profile. 'Stubborn, out of order old wench who wallows in self-pity with a tendency to go off the rails, looking for—"

"Are you online dating?" Michelle cut across her, looking put out by the information.

"Of course not, it was a joke. God, I attract enough weirdo's in real life without dipping into the virtual pond of parasites." Carla shuddered, picking up her glass only to find that it was empty. She glanced over to the bar and signalled to Jenny to bring her another. "Look I don't need someone trying to control everything I do. I do what I like, always have done and so help anyone who stands in my way."

"Yeah well if you found the right person, it wouldn't be a form of control, it'd be a form of care and you'd care about them in return to consider—"

"Listen at her, she's been off around the world and now she's come back thinking she's come kind of relationship guru." Carla rolled her eyes, ignoring the tut from her younger sister. "I'm happy as I am, honestly. I've got all you lot, haven't I?" She slid her arm around her younger sister, giving her a slight squeeze.

Kate seemed to realise she'd hit a wall with Carla, but her eyes quickly swivelled time Michelle.

"So, what about—"

"Nope. Don't you start any of that psychobabble on me. I'm done with all that."

They were saved from another round of counselling when Jenny set down another round of drinks. She looked extra pleased with herself and Michelle could smell the gin emanating from her glass already— she'd clearly doubled it up.

"She's really trying to make Christmas merry, isn't she?" Kate laughed, her nose by the rim of her drink before she took a respectable gulp from it. Carla reached out and grasped her own glass, which was filled considerably with red wine.

"Hey, is that a good idea?" Michelle reached out and placed her hand on the other woman's arm, stopping her from bringing it to her lips. "You've had two..."

Carla groaned and turned to her with eyes that pleaded. "Come on, 'Chelle. It's Christmas. I've only been on small ones."

"That one's huge." Michelle tapped the glass with her finger, sending the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. "Please, Carla..."

Carla eyed the contents of it for a moment longer. She was right, of course, and she didn't _need_ to drink. She was happy enough. It was more habitual than anything, but she couldn't deny the smell was tempting, especially when she had the taste for it after finishing her previous ones. It couldn't hurt, could it? Not if she was practically dry these days.

"Tell you what," Michelle said, reaching out and plucking the drink from Carla. She raised it to her own mouth and drained half of the glass in three swallows. "It's a small one now, isn't it?" She placed it down on the table with a grin, which turned into laughter at the incredulous expression on Carla's face.

"You cheeky mare!" She gave the younger woman a sharp nudge in the side, causing her to jump.

"Oi, that actually hurt!"

"Good, I hope this does an' all!" Carla moved forward as though she was about to repeat the action and Michelle tried to shuffle further away from her, finding herself at the end of the seat.

"Get off us you stubborn, off-the-rails old wench."

"Right. You've done it now." Carla's hands darted under Michelle's outstretched ones and fell to her sides, her fingers digging in and fluttering over the material of her jumper. The effect was instantaneous; the younger woman crumpled in on herself and let out a shout of laughter loud enough to turn the heads of those on tables nearby.

"No! Stop! That's not fair, you know I'm ticklish."

"Well I'm a stubborn old wench, so no." Carla smirked, continuing to torment her while her hands tried to pry her own away.

"Okay, okay. Can we call a truce?" Michelle managed to choke out, there were tears of laughter in her eyes.

Neither of the two had noticed Kate vacate the booth and head over to the bar, shooting a knowing smile at Ryan who was around the other side. He pushed away the bowl of nuts he'd been picking at and made his way over to her, nodding towards where his mum and Carla were sat.

"Enjoying playing gooseberry?" He grinned.

"Tell me about it. Obvious, isn't it?" She laughed, folding her arms as she eyed the pair. Carla was attempting to force Michelle into a 'proper apology'.

"Say it." Her voice carried over to them. "Say, _I'm very sorry and you're the best friend in the whole world._"

"Apparently not to them." Kate sighed, resting her elbow on the bar.

"What's obvious? What are you two on about?" Jenny couldn't help herself; she'd seen the two younger Connor's with their heads together and needed to know what she was missing out on.

"Haven't you noticed? The chemistry between the two who go way back in history?" Ryan grinned, nodding across the booth. "Ironic seeing as neither of them passed either."

"What— what, those two?" Jenny frowned, pointing over to where Michelle and Carla were sat, still bickering, the former had her hands held up defensively in case Carla attempted to launch another attack on her. "No, no surely not? Really? You think?" The landlady prattled on, scrutinising the pair. "But, they're straight?"

"Yeah, straight to the eye sex. Watch."

The pair finally looked to have called a truce, Michelle took the tinsel cocktail stick she'd pulled out of her drink (Jenny's attempt to add a bit of 'festive oomph' to them) and tipped the older brunette's chin, holding her steady while she carefully stuck it into her curls. She adjusted the rest of them around her face, twirling one of them absentmindedly around her finger as she continued to talk to Carla.

"You actually are the best though, you know? God, I've missed you so much." Michelle murmured, her other hand finding Carla's once more.

The other brunette sighed, leaning in until her forehead was leaning against Michelle's. "You were right, you know? What you said to me, Christmas before last. It's just not the same. I miss having you here."

"Carla..." Michelle whispered; her expression saddened. She wrapped her arms around the older brunette and coaxed her against her chest. Carla was happy to nuzzle into her for a moment, smiling when the other woman kissed the top of her head.

Kate turned her attention back to Jenny, who had her hand over her heart. "Oh my god, I thought they were going to kiss, then." She hissed; her eyes sparked with excitement. "Right, I'm invested." She decided, although Kate figured her love for a bit of gossip would have meant she'd have routed for Carla and _Kirk _if she'd have put her onto it. "What're we going to do about it?"

"Er— we?" Ryan started, shaking his head at them both. "No, we can't interfere. We shouldn't."

"I've got it!" Jenny clapped her hands together and turned on heel, disappearing off into the back room.

Kate and Ryan exchanged uneasy glances; wondering if they were going to regret being so open about their theory to the busybody landlady. She returned thirty seconds later, holding something behind her back that was jingling quietly. Revealing what she'd run off to find, she pulled out the hideous clump of fake mistletoe and held it out triumphantly.

"Get them under that."

"But— how?" Kate started to say; however Ryan had already snatched it up and was sidling up to the booth.

"Hey, do you two want another before Jenny calls last orders?" He asked, interrupting the conversation they'd been wrapped up in.

Carla glanced around, wondering how she'd failed to realise the pub slowly emptying. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was indeed time for last orders already.

"Blimey, where's the night gone?" She laughed, lifting her head from the younger woman's shoulder. "I'm alright ta, love. Do you want anything?"

Michelle shook her head, frowning at Ryan who was trying to squint through the logo on the otherwise clouded window behind them. "Hey, is it snowing?"

It had the effect he was hoping for; both Michelle and Carla scrambled to the window and pressed their heads up against the glass. In a second, he'd hooked the mistletoe onto the frosted green tinsel that decorated the backs of the booths. He turned back towards the bar; Kate nodded to him, mouthing 'nice one' while Jenny gave him an excited thumbs up.

"Nope, I think it's still raining. Typical." Carla sighed, flopping back down into her seat.

"Shame, it'd be nice to get some snow. Right, I'm going to head off anyway, me and Kate are going into town. I'll see you both tomorrow." He held his hand up in a wave, but Michelle reached out and pulled him in for a hug, affectionately ruffling his hair much to his chagrin.

"Well just be careful, both of you." Carla warned, ignoring Kate's eye roll and instead pressing a quick kiss against her sister's cheek as Michelle nodded in agreement and offered the same advice to Ryan.

As soon as the main doors closed, Jenny went over to lock them, yawning loudly. "You know what, I might turn in too. I'll clear this lot up tomorrow. I can trust you two not to throw a wild lock-in, can't I?" She teased, picking up two empty pint glasses from a table as she passed.

"Dunno about that, this one's been partying it up in Ireland for the year."

They bid goodnight to her, even though she said she was tired they could still hear her humming to herself in the back room, before the whir of the kettle drowned her out. Michelle got up from her seat and walked over to the switches on the wall, dimming the room drastically when she turned off the main lights. "Don't want anyone banging on the door thinking we're open." She explained when Carla shit her a puzzled glance.

"It's quite peaceful, isn't it? When everyone else has done one." Michelle sat back in her seat, leaning against the booth. She glanced around at the twinkling lights Jenny had put up. It looked alright, really, and in the absence of the pub's main lighting it was cosy.

"And now they have, how are you, really? You know, being back here?"

"Yeah, I think I'm doing okay. I mean I haven't had chance to take it all in, yet. It feels weird, being back. I made some horrible decisions last year." Michelle sighed, beginning to tear strands of tinsel from the cocktail stick Carla had removed from her hair. "I probably deserved some of the misery."

"Hey," Carla shuffled closer, placing her hands over Michelle's and gently removing it from her anxious fingertips, instead weaving her own around them. "Speaking as the leader of bad decision makers here, baby, and being that little bit older does make me superior on that front," she teased, managing to coax a smile from the younger woman, "you didn't deserve to have your heart broken like that, you don't deserve any of the things you've been through."

Michelle blinked away the tears that pricked the back of her eyelids and gave a small nod, finding Carla's softened gaze.

"I've still got you, haven't I?"

Carla had moved closer. One of her hands left Michelle's; she reached up and cupped her cheek, her thumb brushing over her skin. "Of course you have, you always will."

"You're the only person left that I really trust."

"And I'll never let you down, 'Chelle, I promise."

It was quiet, not even Jenny could be heard rattling about; she must have taken her drink up to bed with her. The only sound came from the duke box. Someone must have turned it down though, because Carla could barely hear the song that was playing. It was slow, probably some morbid Christmas carol. Michelle had looked at her that way so many times before, but never so intensely. Carla started to lean in, Michelle hadn't even blinked yet—

"Ah!" Carla suddenly jumped back. Something had dropped from above them, hitting the top of her head and landing between the pair of them. "What the—" She pulled out the plastic clump and held it up in the dim light, tiny bells jingling when she moved it higher. "Flamin' Jenny!"

Michelle had covered her mouth, but it wasn't doing anything to muffle her giggling.

"It's not funny! Shall I give you a whack with it, ey?" Carla moved forward but then stopped abruptly in realisation. She was hovering over Michelle, holding the bunch of mistletoe aloft directly above them. The younger woman's eyes flickered from it to the other brunette who was so close to her it could be easy.

Michelle swallowed, trying to pluck up the courage to continue what the other had started. She dropped her gaze to Carla's slightly parted mouth, felt her own go dry and lost her nerve.

"Oh, come here." She tried to tease, hoping the tremor wasn't evident in her voice. "Give us a squeeze." Michelle pouted deliberately, leaning in to deliver what was going to be an exaggerated peck against her mouth.

But Carla softened her lips against the other woman's. She couldn't bring herself to comply with the game. She raised both hands to rest either side of the younger woman's face and when she'd pulled away, she'd barely moved a fraction. They hovered uncertainly; Carla's heartbeat was way too fast. Her thumb stroked over Michelle's cheekbone, she knew the other brunette's breaths were rapid, she could feel the warmth of each one. Carla inched forward and their lips grazed; she hesitated for a fraction of a second before pushing hers more firmly against the younger woman's, still soft, still brief, still more intimate than any moment they'd shared before. She knew they'd crossed a line, that she couldn't pass this off as anything other than what it was, but when she moved back for a second time Michelle followed her.

She wound an arm around Carla's waist, the other sliding beneath her hair and when they came together for a third time there was nothing uncertain about it. It was tender, in the way Michelle only ever was with her and Carla was trying to work out why is was so comfortable so quickly. Maybe it was because her fingertips were grazing softly against her scalp; maybe it was because she seemed to know when to soften her mouth and flutter her lips over Carla's and when to latch onto her lower one with a pressure that was so inviting and dizzying that she had to stop thinking because she couldn't.

They stayed close when Michelle gently broke away; catching their breath. The younger woman's nose lightly bumped against Carla's and then she raised her chin to kiss the tip of it, causing her to let out a breathy laugh.

"'Chelle," She whispered, finally opening her eyes and meeting the hazel hues in front of her. They were darker in this light, but brighter, reflecting the tiny glittering one's glowing around them.

"Yeah?" Michelle spoke softly. She looked up at Carla, who either hadn't found the words yet or couldn't. Part of her looked scared and while Michelle understood, she didn't want her to feel that way. She hadn't found it yet; the fear hadn't wound its way into her chest. It was too full of something else. She reached out and tucked one of Carla's curls behind her ear, grazing her fingertips along her jaw. "Hey, Merry Christmas."

Carla smiled, the worry in her face ebbing away. "Same to you."

There was a hint of amusement on Michelle's face, something that was catching because Carla's eyes suddenly shone with it. A wider grin appeared across her face and she plucked the clump of mistletoe from the table, giving it a small shake.

"_Wi' bells on!" _They both cried out together, before dissolving into a fit of laughter. Any unease had completely vanished as they clutched at one another, each trying to quieten the other's outburst.

"Shh, we'll wake them up!" Carla hissed, though had to clamp a hand over her own mouth to stop the laughter bubbling up once more. Michelle bit down on her lip, tugging Carla's hand away from her own.

"We'd better find a way to keep quiet, then." She whispered, the fluttering in her stomach intensifying when Carla reached out and pulled her closer, her fingertips resting at the back of her head as she brought Michelle in for another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: I changed my mind, and this is now going to be three parts long. I just needed to write something semi- light-hearted, fun and loving. Thankyou for reading and to those who left such kind reviews.**

**TW: 18+ section at the end of this chapter. **

Michelle rolled over and glanced at the bedside clock. Nine-thirty. She hadn't slept in that late for a while. It took a moment to shake her brain from disorientation and work out exactly where she was. The late-night flight, Johnny picking her up at the airport… She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. It felt strange being here again, even stranger being in one of the Rovers' spare rooms. She still wasn't sure how she felt about it. Pulling on her dressing gown as she got up out of bed, she wandered over to the window and peered through the netting. The sight of the street outside was even more stark in the bright, white morning; the cobbles glittered with frost and she could see early morning walkers and workers greeting each other. It was home, but it was going to take some getting used to and she still wasn't sure if she wanted to. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, pushed her feet into cosy slippers and smoothed down her hair. It had gone two in the morning by the time she'd retired to her room for the night. She stopped on the landing just outside for a moment, allowing the memory from the night before to wash over her. Carla had walked her to the bedroom; she'd kissed her goodnight on the very spot she was stood.

Nerves squirmed slightly in the pit of her stomach as she made her way downstairs. She was trying to work out what had brought the previous night on. Had they had too much to drink? Michelle didn't think so; in fact she was sure she was practically sober after refusing to finish the extremely generous helping of gin that Jenny had poured her. She was overthinking so hard she barely noticed that her feet had carried her to the kitchen, where the sound of Christmas music could be heard from the radio. The anxiety almost dissipated at the sight of Carla stood with her back to her; she too was bundled up in a dressing gown. She hummed along to the song and stirred coffee. Michelle felt the warmth spread through her chest at the sight of her. She was just wondering how to announce her presence when the other brunette turned and jumped.

"Flamin' 'ell, 'Chelle!" She hissed, a splash of coffee sloshing over the side of her mug and landing on the tiled floor. "You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry, sorry, I—" Michelle broke off; her eyes darting downwards. Carla's gown wasn't tied, and she was dressed in bright red pyjamas patterned with cartoon reindeers; some of them had tiny red pom-poms for noses. The laughter bubbled up in Michelle's throat before she could stop it; she clapped her hand over her mouth a second too late.

"Jenny got me them." Carla mumbled, slamming her coffee down on the counter and quickly doing up the ties on her gown. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face because I'm pretty sure she bought you some with snowmen on."

"It's a good job I packed plenty of pairs then." Michelle grinned, her eyes still shining with amusement. "Did you, er… Did you sleep okay?"

Carla nodded into her coffee cup, bringing it away from her lips. "Yeah, I slept fine. Did you?" She answered gently, her eyes meeting Michelle's. It was her turn to smile; she couldn't ever remember seeing her look _shy _before. She felt it widen when the younger woman's gaze quickly flickered to her mouth and back before she answered.

"Yeah, I did."

Carla put her mug down again, the movement was slow and deliberate. She dipped her head and stretched out her hand, using her finger to beckon Michelle over. The other brunette took a few steps towards her, stopping to glance back uncertainly at the doorway.

"They've gone on an emergency last minute dash to the cash and carry." Carla answered the question she knew had formed in her mind. Michelle turned back to her, finding the other woman closer than before. She reached out to cup her cheek, tipping her chin up towards her. Both of their eyes closed as their foreheads met, noses lightly bumping into one another. They hovered for a moment; though not out of uncertainty this time. Michelle slid one hand beneath her hair and proceeded to seal the gap between them. It was firm straight away; Carla's hands wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her flush against her body and Michelle started to work her mouth against the other woman's without any hesitance.

Carla hadn't realised they'd moved at all until her back hit the kitchen counter and she could walk no further. Instead she gripped harder at Michelle who parted her mouth and deepened the kiss. Carla reciprocated with just as much enthusiasm, humming her approval against the younger woman. The warmth in her chest spread to a heat in her stomach. But it was easy to just feel and not think; both of them had forgotten where they were, and the reminder came from a sudden slam upstairs and quick footsteps to the bathroom. They broke apart quickly, flushed and breathless. One of Michelle's hands had found its way through the opening of her dressing gown, beneath the pyjama shirt and was resting against her hip. Carla wondered if the contact burned Michelle as much as it felt like fire on her skin, because the younger woman pulled her hand back quickly.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologise. Don't." Carla whispered, still trying to catch her breath. She let her forehead rest against Michelle's for a moment; her hands slid from her waist and instead found both of the other woman's. "They could be back any minute though and Kate's upstairs. Go sit down and I'll get you a drink."

"I can make it—"

"No, I'll do it," Carla smiled; she leaned in and touched a quick kiss against her lips. Michelle squeezed her hand and made her way over to the sofa, sinking down into it. She took a slow breath, trying to calm herself; she'd felt the goosebumps erupt on her skin despite being so heated. She still had no idea what they had started, only that she didn't want it to stop. Michelle watched as the older brunette came back through, picking her own mug from the kitchen table. She stretched her arm out along the back of the sofa invitingly and accepted the drink from Carla, who sat close enough to allow her to wrap her arm around her shoulders and then shuffled in further until she was tucked up into her.

They were quiet for a moment; Michelle stroked the top of her arm let herself be soothed by it. Being close to her wasn't a comfort she'd been afforded over the last year and she welcomed even the smallest amount despite the lines they'd already crossed. She turned her head and looked up at her, taking her in; the slight hint of colour that still warmed her cheeks; dark eyes that when exposed to the natural light flitting through the window behind them suddenly hinted at hues of green. Carla reached out and placed her hand against the side of her face; she didn't look quite as broken as the last time she'd seen her, but she was far from healed.

"What?"

"Nothing…Everything," Carla murmured, brushing her thumb over the other woman's cheek.

"Well now you're talking sense, that's cleared everything up." Michelle teased. "Are you okay?"

Carla abandoned her coffee mug by the floor and turned back to the younger woman. "All those times we fell to sleep on FaceTime... I used to just wish I was going to wake up and you'd be here." Michelle offered her a saddened smile; those phone calls had kept her going over the year. She'd wondered if the other woman would ever know just how much, but it sounded like they'd had the same effect on Carla. "You know I watched your taxi until it had gone?" She half laughed, though her eyes shone at the edges. "Part of me hoped it'd be like last time and you'd change your mind. I made Peter stay close to the airport until your flight had taken off, just in case."

Micelle looked upset now. She placed her own mug down by her feet and reached out to take the other woman's hand. "Carla..."

"No, don't feel bad. I understand why you had to go. I just didn't realise how much I wanted you to stay. I know we've been away from each other before but this time I missed you so badly." Carla was looking down, her brow knitted together. She paused for a moment, trying to gather her words. "I missed you with— with something _more—"_

"I'm sorry—"

"Will you _stop _apologising to me. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. For god sake 'Chelle I'm trying to tell you how I f—"

"You should have let me at her! They were my dry roasted, fair and square!" The back door had slammed and Jenny stormed her way into the back room, pink with rage, her hair rumpled. She dumped two carrier bags down on the table.

"I know but, love, seventeen bags is a bit excessive—"

"We've got today and Christmas to get through. That's two parties with two lots of drunken punters."

Johnny placed his own bags down, holding his hands up. He looked just as stressed as Jenny. "Okay, okay. To be fair she was a bit of a cheeky so-and-so, nicking it straight from the trolley. Morning, you two." He added, nodding towards the pair on the sofa.

Jenny seemed to only just notice they were there. She turned around and clocked the way they were bundled up together, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Morning! How are you both? Did you have a good catch-up last night? Aww you must have missed each other so much."

"I bet they had a better night than this one." Johnny laughed, nodding his head towards the doorway where Kate has appeared. She looked pale and groggy, though like Jenny perked up instantly at the sight of Michelle and Carla.

"I'm okay, I just need a coffee." She yawned, shooting a smile over in their direction. "Morning!"

"I'll make it, we could do with one too." Jenny followed Kate through into the kitchen. She sidled you to her as she rummaged through the cupboards for painkillers and muttered under her breath.

"What do you reckon? Think it worked?"

Kate shrugged, throwing two white pills against her tongue. "Hard to tell," she whispered; she picked up a glass and filled it with water, proceeding to wash them down. "They always look like that."

For a split-second Carla looked downright murderous at the appearance of her family, but then slumped back against the cushions with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingertips. Michelle placed a concerned hand on her shoulder, but the other woman shot her a reassuring smile and when their eyes met Carla wondered if Michelle knew what she'd been about to say.

Michelle's phone sang out from her dressing gown pocket, jolting the pair back into the scene.

"Bet that's mum." She started, pulling the device out and firing in her pin code. "Oh…"

_Vicky Jeffries: Safe flight back to England, let me know when u get there! Enjoy ya xmas babez xxxx_

Carla glanced at the screen in confusion; her nose wrinkled slightly as she mouthed the final word to herself.

"You still talk to her?"

"Well…Sometimes," Michelle shrugged, quickly pocketing her phone. "We've both been in Ireland, haven't we?"

"You never said."

"It's not something I wanted to broadcast." She mumbled, quickly glancing up to the other three members of her family who were sat around the table. "It's a bit awkward isn't it? And mum goes mad when I see her—"

"You _meet up_ with her? Carla scoffed; she was looking at Michelle as though worried for her sanity. "After everything?"

"Look, we meet now and again for a coffee and a catch up—"

"Oh how flippin' cosy!"

"Carla!" Michelle looked confused herself; thirty seconds ago they'd been curled up together and now it felt like they were in the middle or one of their huge ding-dong rows. "I know the situation was never ideal but she… She did kind of get things."

"Suppose." Carla shrugged, pulling her dressing gown more firmly around herself as she got up from the sofa. "I said I'd help Roy out in the café today so…."

"Well hang on," Michelle reached out for her hand to stop her, but the other woman pushed it into her pocket and made her way towards the door. "Wait, Carla! I'm taking Ryan and Ali out for lunch later on why don't you—"

"I'm in the café all day."

"But—"

"I'll see you at the party, _babes._"

She disappeared from the room and left them all to the sound of her fading footsteps. Michelle ran her hand over her face with a wince.

"I can't work you two out. Spent all this time apart pining for each other; you've been back all of five minutes and you're already falling out." Johnny shook his head, but he was too used to their bickering to look fully concerned at what had just transpired. He almost looked half-amused; he'd seen enough of them to know all would be forgotten. Michelle didn't answer; she picked her drink up and flopped back against the cushions with a sigh. Kate eyes flickered from Michelle, to the door and then finally to Jenny. Neither said a word, but the latter quirked her brow and the pair shared a knowing little smirk.

**|X|X|X|**

"What're you doing?"

Carla snapped Roy's laptop lid closed and glanced up at Kate, who was looking a lot better than she had been in the morning.

"Helping out." Carla shrugged, encasing her arms protectively around the laptop as the younger girl sat down. "What're you doing here?"

"I daren't touch anything in the fridge, it's all for today and tomorrow. Most of it is for the flamin' punters!" Kate rolled her eyes. "So I thought I'd come here for dinner, it's safer."

She called across to Roy asking for a bacon butty as she removed her coat, slinging it over the back of her chair. "You don't look like you're being very helpful."

"I'm on a break." Carla huffed.

"More like he's sent you away because you're a hindrance." Kate teased, glancing down at the laptop in suspicion. "Heard from Michelle?"

"Nope."

"She'll be at lunch now with the lads. She wanted you to go with her, you know?"

Carla didn't answer. She dipped her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone. There weren't any messages from the other woman, but there was a missed call from around an hour ago. Taking advantage of her older sister's lapse of concentration, Kate quickly swiped the laptop across to her side of the table and flipped the lid.

"Oi!" Carla was out of her chair in an instant, but Kate was too quick for her. She held the laptop up out of her reach and the threat of unwanted attention from other customers stopped her from kicking up any more of a fuss. "Kate, just give it back to me." She hissed, though her sister was smirking triumphantly. The younger brunette sat back down in her seat and pressed the enter key to rid the screen of the steam train lock screen.

"Seriously?" Kate quirked her brow and swivelled the device around. Carla couldn't bear to see the smug look on the younger girls face as the _FriendConnect _profile glared across at her; the one she had been looking up for the past twenty minutes.

"You're stalking Vicky's profile? Oh you are tragic, sis." Kate laughed, scrolling down the page.

"Michelle barely posts anything." Carla mumbled, leaning over while Kate continued to scrutinise the profile. There were a ton of pictures of chubby faced baby with light eyes and dark hair, shared posts of mood dependant quotes and occasionally, between all of this, a status informing the virtual world she was at the beach or a coffee shop. Michelle's account was tagged and they featured a photo.

"_Coffee with this 'stunna?'" _Kate giggled at the caption, peering at a 'selfie' of the pair holding latte's, grinning at the camera. She scrolled further, pausing at a photo that showed Michelle next to a pushchair, her hair was whipped up by the wind and she was bundled up in a scarf, the beach in the background. It didn't look like she knew the photo was being taken; she was pointing at something off camera, laughter frozen on her face.

It was the last photo that Carla seemed to take most offence to. It showed Vicky and Michelle at a bar, dressed to the nines, both of them holding glasses of wine in their hands. The former had her arm around Michelle, who was definitely on the right side of tipsy._ "Mums night out." _Carla scoffed, pushing the lid down.

"Well, they are both mums? It was probably just...Carla, from the looks of this they've seen each other three times in the last year."

"Still more than she's seen me."

"Give over, you slept together on FaceTime every night you pair of wet wipes." Kate smirked, pulling the lid back up. She continued to scroll down the profile, though nothing else of interest appeared.

"No we didn't." Carla sighed, dropping her face into the palm of her hand. She pulled out her phone again and checked her messages. The act was pointless, Michelle was probably having a well needed catch up with her sons. "Not every night."

"What's the real issue, here?"

Carla looked reluctant for a second, biting her lip. Kate didn't say anything; she purposely pressed the arrow key and scrolled back up to the coffee shop selfie and the other woman suddenly let out a groan.

"She's _my _best friend." The older brunette wailed, before dropping her head into her hand. "Oh, God, that sounds so pathetic, I know but—"

Kate looked triumphant, but quickly forced back the laugh that threatened to erupt from her mouth at the death glare Carla shot at her.

"She said they had a connection after everything they went through together."

"Hang on, are you saying... Carla, you don't really think that her and Vicky... you know?"

The older woman looked confused for half a second before actually letting out a bark of laughter herself, her screwing up her face in disgust. "God _no!_" She blanched, shaking the thought out of her head. "Kate, seriously? I haven't lost my mind!"

"Then why are you so wound up about it?"

"Because—" Carla started, her shoulders dropping. She looked upset again; the laughter had disappeared from her face as quickly as it had appeared across it. "Because what reason does she have to stay, now? She's got her family in Ireland, she's got her friends, a best friend by the looks of it and— if she goes back and makes a life there... Well, she's bound to meet someone, isn't she?"

"Ah, that's what you're worried about, not Vicky…" The penny dropped. Kate finally understood why Carla had flounced off after overthinking herself into a frenzy. She reached across the table and placed her hand over Carla's. "Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"I tried to tell her this morning and then all you lot came barging—" Carla broke off, her eyes widening. She'd been that wound up she hadn't realised her sister had practically tricked her into a revelation.

Kate's jaw dropped, her brow flying towards her hairline. "Oh my God, I never thought you'd actually admit it—"

"Kate, you need to calm down—"

"Were you really going to tell her? What did you say? Did you—"

"Kate please—"

"When did you even realise you felt—"

"_Kate!" _

"Sorry, Sorry!" The younger woman clapped her hands over her mouth, though her eyes still shone in excitement and she was all but dancing in her seat. She leaned across the table, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Did it work then? The mistletoe?"

"_That was you?"_ Carla hissed, glancing around her to make sure no one was listening in.

"It was— well, a team effort. It was Jenny's idea, but Ryan executed it—"

Carla looked horrified; her eyes were wide with panic. "_What?"_

"No, it's okay! We guessed that's all and put it up on the off chance—"

"Oh god, my head is spinning." Carla covered her eyes with both of her hands, trying to take a calming breath. The tension was evident as she sat rigid in her seat and let out a pained sounding whimper. "How the hell did you work it out?"

Kate let out an incredulous scoff. She held up her hand and began to list off exactly how, counting them on her finger as she went. "Firstly, your own relationship crumbled and you weren't even devastated; you talk about her _all _the time; the constant texts and phone calls; Ry said you were _heartbroken _after everything last year; you've got a photo of her in your purse—"

Carla looked down at her lap, mumbling incoherently about it being completely normal to have such a thing.

"—you acted like all your Christmases had come at once when you found out she was coming back _and _I know full well you dressed up for her. Don't deny it. I could go on, but it looks like my butty is on its way and I'm starving."

Carla was rendered speechless. She was trying to come up with counter arguments in her head while Roy placed Kate's order down in front of them and the younger girl thanked him. She realised that even if she had given Kate the "she's my best friend" mantra; she'd practically admitted to her sister that there was more to it, now.

"No one's going to say anything." Kate spoke thickly through a mouthful of bread. "We just wanted to help out, if we could. Hence the mistletoe. So, did it work?"

Carla hesitated; she could feel the heat in her chest from panic, but it wasn't half as bad as she feared it would be. She did trust Kate— Jenny not so much and she wondered how on Earth Johnny handed caught wind of any of it yet. Or maybe he had and he was just as much in denial as she had been. There was no need to think about his reaction, he might not even need to know anything more.

"If it had, what does it change? She isn't staying."

"It changes everything. Are you telling me something happened?" Kate raised the sandwich back to her mouth but at Carla's hesitant, tiny nod, the whole thing slid from her fingers and fell apart on the plate.

"We... upheld the tradition usually intended beneath such festive decorations."

"Oh my god..." Kate settled her hand against her chest, her expression softening sickeningly. "You kissed? Wait, were you drunk?"

"We hadn't had any more than what we did while you were sat with us." Carla shrugged, anxiously picking at the very outdated warranty sticker on the lid of the laptop. "And we were stone cold sober this morning..."

"This morning? Hang on, did you—?"

"No! No, nothing like that." Carla assured her quickly; she felt the beginnings of a blush creep up her neck and inwardly chastised herself, trying to force herself to act nonchalant about the whole thing, as if it wasn't the most intoxicating and unexpected experience she'd had in her life. "I mean, it did get... sort of intense but... but then Johnny and Jenny—"

"What if they hadn't?"

"I don't know." Carla admitted truthfully; she hadn't given it much thought; she hadn't had the chance. Her emotions had confused her enough over the last few months without her having to consider the physical side; she hadn't for a second believed she'd ever need to. "But it was pretty heated." So was her face. She could feel the flush spreading to her cheeks.

As brilliant as Kate was being, as much as she knew how serious it was to her older sister and the impact it would have and as hard as she fought; she couldn't bite back the beginnings of a smirk that pulled at the corners of her lips in the wake of her next question. "Do you _want _to?"

Carla's skin was positively fiery now; she dipped her head and covered her face completely, letting out a groan. "I can't discuss this with my little sister."

"Oh, pack it in." Kate laughed, reaching out to prod her. "I'm sorry though, I'll stop torturing you."

"It's not you, it's this whole thing." Carla mumbled from between her fingertips, her words muffled. "It's just weird."

"_Oi!"_

"No, no I don't mean that!" She lifted her head suddenly, reaching out for Kate's hand. "I didn't mean it like that, I can _hardly _mean it like that, can I? I'd be a flamin' hypocrite." Carla shook her head, meeting her sister's eyes and finding, with relief, that she was laughing again; she hadn't taken offence, she'd just been winding her up. "I mean it's _me. _Me and...

Me and _'Chelle. _I've known her for years and I never once thought about us like that."

Kate raised a sceptic eyebrow at her sister.

"Well I mean... Not— not really. Not _seriously. _Not like something I'd ever act on. We joked around and she's... She's loyal and trustworthy and kind-hearted; she's my absolute rock and she _is _attractive..." Carla seemed to have lost her point; she bit her lip in concentration as though trying to work out where she was meant to go from there.

"Sorta slams into you like a tram when you realise, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... Yeah, it does." Carla whispered; she looked like she was barely holding onto her emotions. Her eyes glistened and Kate placed her other hand over the top of her sister's.

"Hey, you know what we need to do, don't you?"

"What?"

"Go back and get you looking absolutely drop dead gorgeous for this Christmas party."

**|X|X|X|**

"Can you take this through, please?" Jenny shoved a large tray into Kate's arms, who nearly dropped it under the weight of Christmas cake wedges piled on it.

"Seriously? The bar is going to collapse under the weight of all the scran out there!" She scowled, though carried it through and attempted to find a space for it.

Carla was trying to look the frosted glass doors, squinting in confusion. "Why is there a fella outside in a high-vis?"

"Security. After what happened last year, I'm not taking any chances!" Jenny scuttled past Johnny, who was still stocking the fridge with mixers. Jenny nodded to him and crossed something off the list she had in her hands. "Right you can all help me dish these crisps out onto tables."

"I'm starting to think maybe Michelle didn't need three hours to get ready; she's just avoiding all of this." Kate mumbled, rolling her eyes. She picked up a stack of plastic bowls and started to separate them, reaching out to grab one of the many party sized packets that the landlady had brought back from the cash and carry that morning.

"Michelle's our guest for Christmas, she's entitled to take it easy." Jenny reasoned, sashaying over to the duke box with a frown. "I reckon we should shut this off and get Ryan to do us a proper playlist."

"Carla's not helping either." Kate poked her tongue out at her older sister, who was still hovering by the door of the Rovers.

"I'm not getting crumbs down my best frock!" The older brunette was dressed in a red, off the shoulder dress. It was belted in and knee length, a ruffled slit exposing her thigh. She smoothed it down self-consciously; Kate had reassured her over and over that she looked stunning. She hadn't seen or spoke to Michelle since the morning; however, she had messaged the other woman saying she hoped she'd enjoyed her lunch. There'd been kisses at the end of Michelle's reply, so she hoped her earlier mood had been forgotten. "I need my lip gloss."

"Is it smudge-proof?" Kate quipped instantly, though snapped her mouth shut at Carla's glare. "Just kidding!" The comment seemed to go over Johnny's head; he was muttering you himself about an apparent shortage of ginger beer in the fridge.

"What do you mean? We ordered loads!" Jenny panicked, leaning down and peering through the array of bottles. "This is a disaster!"

Biting back laughter, Carla sauntered over to the bar and giving Jenny a gentle pat on the back. "Hey, we've got plenty of stuff here to keep everyone satisfied. Calm down, you've done a brilliant job."

"I want everything to be perfect."

"It is perf—perfect…wow." She finished under her breath, her focus in the other direction completely. 

Michelle had appeared out of nowhere, heels clicking against the floor.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to get out of helping. Bad hair day." She laughed, stepping through to greet them all. She was dressed in a long sleeved, figure-hugging black dress; every inch of the fabric was speckled with silver glitter so that she sparkled when she caught the many twinkling lights around the pub. It didn't look like she'd had a bad hair day; it was pinned up on top of her head with curls framing her face and her eyes were deep and smoky. And staring straight at Carla. The older brunette still hadn't found words, but it was Michelle that moved forward with a gentle gasp.

"Oh, you look absolutely stunning." There wasn't a hint of animosity between them, Michelle had clearly not given a second thought to her earlier mood. She reached out and carefully wound her fingertip around a soft curl. Carla had also opted to style her hair in waves, though had left it loose. "I love that dress on you."

"Behave," Carla mumbled, though her face had split into a wide grin and she stepped closer to Michelle. "Thank you…"

"Right, shall we open the doors?" Jenny's voice cut through the mounting tension and Kate shot Carla a knowing look, before turning to pull the latch.

Michelle bit her lip; she didn't know where it had come from, but the sudden anxiety in her stomach as Kate went to open the doors must have shown on her face, because Carla's smile had turned into a worried grimace.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." She gave a determined nod.

"You will be, I promise. You look amazing, 'Chelle." Carla whispered. "Come on, let's get around the right side of the bar or they'll rope us into serving." She reached up to place her arm around the younger woman and discovered her dress dipped at the back when her fingertips pressed against warm skin. It was so soft, and Michelle still looked so tense; she couldn't help but trail her hand over her, making light circles as they moved around the bar together. Michelle leant into the touch; her breath hitched slightly; Carla's hand against her skin burned but it was far from unpleasant. She turned to face the other woman; dark eyes loaded. Carla stared straight back, the same blazing look reflected in her own green hues and it took everything in her not to reach out and hold her face. She did lean in slightly, and Carla followed, lightly resting her head against Michelle's.

"Kate, are you opening the door or what?" Johnny asked, causing the younger girl to jump. She had been too busy watching the pair with a smirk on her face.

"Just making sure everyone's ready." She shrugged, before finally allowing the public in.

Ryan and Ali were first through the door. They could have easily come through the back, but Carla had a feeling they were also trying to get out of being rope into helping.

"Oh—you don't have to search Rita, she's fine!" Jenny called out; the former shopkeeper and held open her handbag for the security man wielding a torch.

"You don't want to start letting you guard down, Jenny," Ryan started, seriously. "You know that's how contraband gets smuggled? Dealers and wrong-un's use folk least likely to be searched."

"Shut up, you plank." Ali frowned, lightly clipping the back of his head. He stepped back to let Rita through first. "That's because he plays those stupid video games."

"They're only stupid because you keep losing." Ryan smirked, ducking to avoid the other swing the Doctor took at him. "Ah, Aunty Carla!" He sauntered up to the bar and immediately picked up a cocktail sausage. "You are looking absolutely stunning on this fine evening—"

"Cut it out, what're you having?" Carla rolled her eyes, bringing out her purse. She popped it open and in the little window, as Kate had rightly stated, there was a photo of Michelle; dressed smartly in black, hair curled and sat with one leg crossed over the other on a bar stool, smiling directly at the Camera. It was one that was taken by a photographer when she'd first opened the Bistro, but it had never made it into the paper. Michelle glanced from it to the other woman with an expression so softened her eyes were almost glassy.

"Well if you're offering, I'll start with a pint please." Ryan grinned, carelessly flicking the cocktail stick away and lingering over the finger sandwiches. "Decent spread, Jenny!"

"Oh, put your money away you lot." Johnny laughed, already dishing out the drinks. There was a notice up informing customers that they were entitled to one free drink. "You're family, you don't pay all night."

Ryan's eyes lit up at the news and Ali warned Johnny he might live to regret it. He held his hand up and tapped it against Ryan's, who had held it up for a high five at the best news he'd received all Christmas.

Carla popped her bag open and put her purse away. "It's my favourite photo of you." She spoke quietly; she could feel the other woman's gaze on her still. "It was in one of the boxes you left the lads to sort last year. You don't mind that I took it, do you?"

Michelle shook her head; she held out her arms and pulled Carla into a close embrace. She didn't speak, just pressed her lips against the other brunette's forehead; there weren't any words that were enough.

"Carla!" Jenny's urgent voice made the pair of them jump. "The swiss roll from Roy, where is it?"

"Oh—I forgot. It's still in the fridge." She shot the landlady an apologetic smile and gently untangled herself from Michelle. "I'll nip through and bring it out." Carla moved sharpish, fearful that she'd end up being on the receiving end of one of her death glares if not.

"What did you do that for?" Kate hissed, making sure her cousin wasn't listening in. Michelle had turned to watch Ryan and Ali play darts. "They were having a moment!" The younger brunette looked thoroughly annoyed, but Jenny held her hands up defensively.

"And I'm happy for them, I really am. My heart is bursting. But they've got all night to canoodle—that buttercream hasn't."

"There's literally enough on this bar to feed the five thousand!" Kate huffed, sidling over to where Michelle was perched on the stool. She had a glass of wine in her hand and she was scrutinising the dart board.

"If he hits triple twenty, he's got you Ry. Saying that, you're both rubbish and I could take you blindfolded." She teased.

"I could take out literally just one of your daft hairpins and ruin your whole evening." Ryan shot back, edging closer to his mother who quickly batted him away.

"Don't you dare! I'll knock your block off. Alright, Kate? You look nice." Michelle turned away from her sons and found the younger brunette next to her; she'd been watching the exchange with an amused little grin on her face.

"Ah, thanks. You too; you and Carla have gone all out."

"She has, her dress is beautiful." Michelle agreed. Carla had reappeared, but she was behind the bar with her back to the pair of them, knife in hand, where she was presumably cutting up pieces of cake under Jenny's watchful eye. Michelle watched with a smile on her face as the pair of them bickered; chuckling to herself when Carla loudly reminded Jenny that she had a knife in her hand.

"She really missed you." Kate spoke quietly, capturing Michelle's attention. "You should have seen her when she found out you were coming for Christmas; dad said it was the happiest she'd been all year."

"I think it's the happiest I've been too."

"She's been looking after them two." Kate gave a small nod towards Ryan and Ali.

"What do you mean?" Michelle asked, dragging her eyes away from Carla and instead turning to face Kate.

"She was sick of seeing them at the kebab shop every other night; she's been taking them meals from the café in the evening's, making sure they had something decent."

Michelle felt her chest warm, a rush of affection sweeping over her. She placed her hand against her heart, it felt like it was pulsing beneath the material of her dress. Carla hadn't mentioned it to her, not in any of her texts or calls. She was so touched by the other woman's actions that she could feel tears building in the corners of her eyes.

"I had no idea…" Michelle didn't think Carla had any idea either; about just how much she'd done for the younger woman over the last year. She had a whole life right here and she'd still spend almost every evening keeping up with Michelle's; comforting her, laughing with her, giving her advice. Sometime during those video calls that lasted way longer than they should have and caused both of them to shuffle about the following day on less sleep than advisable; the friendship she'd always held so close to her heart had somehow lead it to yearn for more.

"I told her there's no way you're going to replace her with Vicky."

"What?" Michelle spluttered, dragged out of her thoughts by the statement. "Is that what she thinks?"

"Well, I mean she was worried," Kate shrugged. "That you might… I don't know, forget about us or something. About her…"

Michelle laughed out loud, still unable to take the younger girl seriously. "Chance'd be a fine thing. I couldn't forget about her even if I tried." She shook her head, turning back to the bar where Carla had, as feared, been roped into serving a customer while Jenny was chatting freely to Rita. "She means the world to me."

"You should tell her." Kate hinted, picking up her drink as she slid from the stool she'd been perched on. "She'd be made up." At that, the younger girl left Michelle and made her way over to Ryan and Ali, where she immediately demanded to be included in their game.

Michelle got up from her seat and lifted the bar latch, slipping through it. Carla had her back turned; the upended vodka bottle was empty, and she was in the middle of changing it. Michelle waited until it was safely back in place before moving forward. She wrapped her arms around the other brunette from behind; her chin grazed along a bare shoulder as she brought her lips up by her ear. Carla had frozen; the sharp breath she'd sucked in still hadn't been exhaled.

"Hey," She whispered, nuzzling into the side of her neck. Carla's breath released in a shaky sigh. "Will you come with me a sec?"

She turned to her, confused and Michelle gave her a reassuring smile. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she gave a small nod. "Okay."

The younger woman let go of her but took her hand, pulling her away from the bar and towards the stairs. Carla paused when they reached the bottom, shooting her another questioning glance.

"It's alright, come on…" Michelle kept hold of her hand and Carla allowed the other woman to lead her up. She found herself stood in the room Michelle was staying in. The younger brunette had gone straight to the wardrobe; she pulled open the doors and stretched up towards the top shelf. She brought down a black box decorated with frosted silver ribbon that was tied in a bow and held it out to the other woman.

"What's that?"

"It's one of your Christmas presents, but I want you to open it now."

"Why?"

Michelle cocked her brow, pushing the box into her hands. "Just stop questioning everything and open it."

"Bossy." Carla mumbled under her breath, though a smirk was forming at the corner of her mouth and she pulled at the ribbon. She placed the bow down on Michelle's dressing table and prised open the lid. Cushioned against black velvet was an oval shaped locket. It had an engraved Celtic knot around a black sapphire and hung from a delicate silver chain. Carla ran her fingertip over the design; tilted the box towards the light so the stone glinted. It was beautiful.

"I helped design it." Michelle peered over Carla's shoulder, leaning down to rest her chin there. "I went into the shop and told them I needed something special. I said it was for someone so important to me. So, they got someone to help come up with a pattern and he explained it to me. It doesn't have a beginning or ending, see? They're just connected and it's eternal."

She reached down and carefully prised the jewellery open for her. There was a picture inside and Carla recognised it instantly. It was one that had been framed in Michelle's old flat; one of the younger woman's favourite photos of the pair. Carla could barely see it through the blur of tears. She quickly blinked them away and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. The box was trembling in her hands.

"You never have to wonder how much you mean to me."

"'Chelle…" Carla's voice sounded thick; she was struggling to get her words passed the huge lump that was stopping her from being able to swallow properly. "It's—it's so beautiful. It's so beautiful and thoughtful, I—"

"Just like the person I got it for, hey?" Michelle whispered; her breath warm in the other woman's ear. "You can keep me close, even if I can't always be."

Carla moved away then, using one hand to wipe beneath her eyes. "I can't even think about you leaving again. I can't…" Her voice cracked and the sound pulled at the younger woman's chest.

"Carla…"

She turned; this time she didn't even bother to hide the fact that her eyes were full of tears. "How many times are we going to break each other's heart leaving one another, before we realise that maybe—maybe we'd be better off together."

Michelle closed her eyes, partly so she wouldn't have to see the pain reflected in Carla's.

"I'm not doing it to hurt you."

"I know. And I know I sound selfish and hypocritical. I _am _selfish and hypocritical." Carla admitted, taking a deep, shuddering breath in an attempt to compose herself.

"You're not. Not one bit."

Michelle moved towards her; she carefully wiped the tears from the other brunette's cheeks and tipped her chin. There was so much hurt in her eyes, so much love, so much of everything she was. She could see it all, see through every barrier that fooled everyone else. Wordlessly, she took the box from Carla's hands and removed the locket. Understanding, Carla turned and gathered her curls in her hands, moving them to one side. The younger woman placed the oval against her chest and then pressed her lips against her shoulder. She started a path of them; soft, slow kisses that moved towards her neck. Carla felt every one of them like a pulse of electric against her skin; her eyes fluttered shut, breath becoming laboured. Michelle fastened the clasp and placed a final kiss against the side of her neck, trailing her lips up to her ear.

"I'm here, now." She trapped the lobe in her mouth as she spoke and felt the other woman shiver. "You've got me right here…" The edge of her teeth grazed against her skin and Carla let out a gasp. Unable to stand it any longer, she whipped around and pulled Michelle to her, their mouths crashing together.

it was passionate straight away; Michelle had reciprocated fiercely, parting her mouth and instantly deepening the kiss. She could taste the rich, smokiness of the expensive shiraz she limited to herself against her tongue and she needed more of her. The younger brunette walked them backwards towards the bed and Carla fell against it first; she pulled Michelle flush to her body and felt the surge of want in her stomach. It was only when the other woman's hands reached the zip at the side of her dress that her lips faltered.

"Are you okay?" Michelle broke the kiss, her hands falling still.

"Yeah, yeah I just… I'm not—I'm not really wearing a lot under this."

"Neither am I." Michelle grinned, biting down on her lower lip. "That's kind of the idea, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I just—" Carla broke off, breath still heavy; her pupils were blown and in the dim light her eyes looked black. "If we do this, this changes everything doesn't it?" She wriggled from under Michelle and moved towards the pillows, although kept hold of her hand so she could tug her right back next to her.

Michelle could see the worry in her eyes, and she wasn't so naïve herself; she knew what it meant, what they were risking. She couldn't kid herself that they could do this and act like it had never happened further down the line.

"It does, yeah." She agreed, laying down beside her. "But it doesn't mean it'll be a bad thing."

"You're going back to Ireland."

Michelle brushed a strand of hair away from the other woman's face, tucked it carefully behind her ear and continued to trail her fingertip over her jaw. "We don't have to do anything at all, you know? It's okay…"

"Well, it'd give you something to remember me by." Carla half laughed, though it didn't sound very humorous.

"I've thought about you every single day since I left. Don't do that." Michelle reached down and laced her fingers through Carla's. "Don't do it for the wrong reasons."

"What are right reasons?"

"It's not going to make me change my mind, Carla," She whispered, stroking her thumb over the back of her hand. "I can't stay, not yet. I'm not ready to be here permanently. But it doesn't mean I never will be."

"I know." Carla raised their entwined hands and kissed the back of Michelle's. "I want you to be happy; that's all I ever want for you." She understood, but it didn't mean her impending departure wasn't going to absolutely break her again. "You still didn't tell me the right reasons."

"Because we want to. Because it's how we feel about each other."

"And is that the way you feel about me?"

Michelle met those eyes again, loaded and heartbroken, and nodded. "Yes."

Carla moved closer, her fingertips tucking beneath the younger woman's chin. She dipped her head and pressed a slow kiss against her lips. "Show me, then." She whispered; the words hot against her mouth. "Show me how you feel."

Michelle raised her hand and held her there, returning the kiss. It was like their first, without the hesitance. The younger woman's mouth worked deliberately steady and firm, her thumb stroking against Carla's cheek, who parted her let the tip of her tongue probe Michelle's lower one. She let her in, whimpered softly at the contact. Her hand fell to the other woman's thigh, followed along the slit in her dress, her fingertips gliding along her skin. Carla felt the heat reignite in her stomach, moaned her approval into the other woman's mouth. Michelle brought her hand away and trailed her fingertips back along her side, settling against the zip of her dress once more as she gently broke the kiss. Carla met her eyes, read the silent request and granted her permission with a nod.

Michelle pulled the zip down, grazing her fingertips down her side as she did just to hear the way Carla sighed at the contact. She sat up further, her hands settled either side of the older woman's shoulders and she started to slide the sleeves down her arms. It dropped from her frame and Michelle's gaze dropped with it. She poured over every inch, followed the sip of each curve. Carla hadn't been lying; she wasn't wearing anything underneath other than the triangle of black lace, but Michelle's eyes homed in on the faint line across her stomach. She reached out and traced a fingertip along it, feeling the muscles tense beneath her touch. She moved her eyes back up to meet Carla's and offered her a reassuring smile.

"You're perfect." 

The older brunette pressed her lips together, shaking her head slightly and Michelle took the hem of her own dress. She pulled it over her head in one fluid motion and took Carla's hand, bringing her palm flat against her own stomach. There was a raised welt of skin there; getting less stark as the months wore on, but still visible.

"We're survivors, me and you." 

"Yeah… Yeah, we are." Carla pulled Michelle towards her, causing them to fall back against the pillows once more. She resumed their kiss, running her hands down the younger woman's back, taking in as much of her as she could. Michelle's hand was at her thigh again, nails scratching lightly against her skin and this time there wasn't anything to stop her. Carla whimpered softly against her mouth, the pulse at the base of her stomach had returned and was just as rapid as the one in her chest.

Michelle's fingertips brushed over black lace and Carla gasped, eyes snapping shut.

"Look at me…" The younger woman whispered, and she forced herself to comply. The way Michelle looked at her was almost too much; there was an infinite amount of care in her eyes. "if you change your mind…"

But Carla shook her head. Every inch of her skin was screaming out for her. "I need you."

Michelle used her other hand to brush the other woman's hair back; she bent forward and captured her lips once more. It was soft again, careful, her mouth working slowly against Carla's; she'd asked her to show her how she felt and Michelle was going to do exactly that. Her hand skimmed along the top of a lace waistband and dipped beneath it. She felt the vibration against her mouth; the soft cry from the older brunette who tensed and had yet to exhale. She continued to kiss her, shorter but just and gentle pecks against her lips as she began to circle her fingertips. Carla dropped her head back into the pillow and let out a heavy sigh.

"Is this okay?" Michelle followed her; using her other had she brushed her hair back, her lips resting at her brow.

"Yeah…Yeah, it's—" Carla's words were cut off and she gave in to another surge of pleasure; her eyes closed and she pushed herself up towards the other woman. Michelle increased her pace, pressing against her more firmly and her cry was louder this time.

"Better?" The younger woman checked, her voice soft. Carla had yet to open her eyes again and she knew the nerves hadn't completely disappeared. She could only nod in response; she was trying to hold on, trying not to let herself fall over the edge too soon. It was better than she imagined; not that she'd allowed herself to journey very far on that train of thought. But in the back of her mind she was still aware of exactly how far they'd crossed over any kind of friendship line, although they were getting cloudier as her pleasure heightened.

Michelle bit her lip as she watched her react; react to the sensations that _she _was provoking. But she could tell she wasn't fully there yet, not as in the moment as she'd like her to be. She scattered kisses across her brow, hovered by her ear.

"Stop overthinking it, just feel it." She murmured. Her hand moved lower; her touch deepened and she was infinitely glad that the party downstairs was loud enough to drown out the cry of her name.

Carla wrapped her fingers around the back of her neck and pulled her down; the kiss was hard and eager. She had almost let go right then, if the sensation hadn't been so welcomingly jarring; a different kind of pleasure that caused the coil in her stomach to tighten. She battled with her head and Michelle's words, willing herself to give in.

"I am _so _attracted to you, like this." The younger woman murmured. The tip of her tongue trailed over the shell of her ear and Carla struggled to keep still. Her hips rocked against her hand, but Michelle had stilled it. "Knowing I can make you feel this way makes me feel that way. I want more of you." She started to press open-mouthed kisses down her neck; lathed her skin with her tongue as she made her way down her chest. She used her other hand to hook beneath the waistband of her underwear and Carla lifted her body to aid her. The younger woman paid special attention to the faint line over her stomach; she kissed along the length of it; reminded herself how many times she'd nearly lost her. She _had _to show her how much she meant.

Carla watched her; she wondered if she could hear her heart because it was thudding so rapidly against her chest, pushing a warmth that was spreading through the body. Her eyes had clouded but she blinked quickly; she watched Michelle pour over every part of her with so much care. It was only when she felt the kisses reach the inside of her thigh that her body tensed again. Michelle met her eyes; dark with lust but glassy. She hovered over her and Carla knew she wouldn't continue unless she allowed her to. She wanted it; her whole being pulsed with desire; she wanted it so much she was trembling in anticipation. Carla slid her hand down, held it out and Michelle took it, threading their fingers together. She circled her thumb over the back of it, kept up the reassuring movement as her head bowed.

Carla had lava in her veins. Michelle's tongue was molten and velvet, too much but not enough at once. She couldn't decide if she needed to push herself closer or pull away and her mind was focused on one thing only. She cried out; her hand tangled in the younger brunette's hair and she gripped onto her. The elegant updo was pulled from its place and the flicker of her tongue only intensified. It felt like flames of electricity; it sparked every nerve ending and Carla knew was nearing the edge.

"Don't stop, please don't stop."

Like she would. Her fingers curled and Carla's body went rigid. She was pulled up from her pillow; her head fizzed and stars danced in front of her tightly closed eyes. She was falling; the heat erupted and washed over her in waves. Unable to keep herself upright, she fell back against the bed with a cry and desperately tried to take in air. Her knuckles had whitened with the grip she'd had on Michelle's. When she released her, there were tiny grooves on the back of her hand where her nails had dug in.

"'_Chelle,"_ Her voice was weak, breath ragged; she was still releasing mewls of pleasure at the aftershocks that rocked her body.

Michelle had been watching her, completely transfixed. She crawled back up to lay beside Carla, stroking away the hair that had stuck to her dampened forehead while she tried to catch her breath. With half lidded eyes, Carla reached out blindly towards her and Michelle wrapped her arms around the other woman, pulling her into her chest. She scattered gentle kisses across her forehead, each one lingering until she could finally dip down and capture her lips when Carla's breath had slowed enough to allow her.

"Was that okay?"

"_Okay?"_ Carla half scoffed, half laughed, brushing her hand over her face; her skin was still damp with perspiration. "'Chelle that was..." she pressed her lips together, unable to find the words. Instead she pulled her in and kissed her. It was only when she'd found a coherent thought that she pulled away again. "It was perfect." She stayed close; twirled strands of Michelle's hair around her finger. It had slipped down from the careful up-do; messy waves framed her face. "How was it— I mean did you— oh god, I don't know how to say it." Carla groaned, covering her face. Michelle suddenly giggled, causing the other woman to let out a murmur of laughter from behind her fingertips. She gently tugged Carla's hands away and leant closer until her nose bumped the other woman's.

"Well," she grinned, sliding one of her hands from Carla's waist to thigh, beginning to make light circles against her skin. She ran her tongue over her lower lip; tugged at it with her teeth with a seductive grin on her face. "I'd definitely do it again."

"Good to know." Carla nodded in mock seriousness, tilting her head to press her lips against Michelle's, latching onto her lower on.

"Mmm— only with you, mind. Don't be trying to set me up with, I don't know, _Tracy_ or whoever—"

"_Shut up!"_ Carla nudged her; the pair of them descended into laughter. It took a moment for them to calm down; Michelle's murmurs of amusement didn't fully silence until the older brunette's lips found hers once more. They parted; the tip of her tongue brushed over Michelle's and she let her approval be known. Carla was suddenly over her, straddling her and the kiss quickly grew all consuming. She twisted her hands into the older woman's hair and held her closer. Whether deliberate or not, her knee pressed between her thighs and she cried out against her mouth. It _was _deliberate. The smirk on Carla's face when she pulled back caused a pulse of desire to ripple in her stomach.

"'Chelle," she murmured, her voice low and husky in the back of her throat. It made the younger woman rigid with need. Carla trailed her fingertips over her stomach, leant down until her mouth was by her ear. Her next words combined with the warmth of her breath against her ear almost sent her over the edge in her heated state.

"I'm going to show you how _I _feel, now."

**a/n: Thanks again for reading! Happy New Year! Final part coming soon… **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: The third and final part! Originally it was meant to end at new year, but then I decided to add a bonus scene because I really wanted to cover Carla's birthday—for some reason it's nearly always overlooked in the show. So, it does feel like it's kind of tagged on at the end, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.**

**TW: 18+ content in several sections.**

Carla blinked slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light. It couldn't have been that early because it was bright in the room. She turned her head and glanced at the clock; it was just after nine. The sound of soft breathing at the side of her made her turn back over and a smile instantly pulled at the corners of her mouth. Michelle was still asleep, palm flat against the pillow, lips slightly parted. She reached out and stroked her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. Michelle stirred, but her eyes remained closed. Her bare shoulder felt cool to the touch and Carla pulled the covers further over them both. Unable to stop herself, she moved closer and gently pressed her lips against the other woman's. When she pulled back, Michelle's own had curved into a smile.

"I am awake, you know?" She murmured, a soft croak to her voice. Her eyes fluttered open and her smile widened. "Morning..."

"Hey, you..." Carla whispered. She studied her face for a moment. Her hand glided from her shoulder down the length of her side, before curving around her back. She started to softly scratch circles against her skin and heard the younger woman sigh contently.

"What time is it?"

"It's past nine o'clock."

"Really?" Michelle sat up slightly and checked the time for herself. "What time did we go to sleep?"

"Not that late." Carla shrugged, a wry smirk on her lips. "But we had quite the workout beforehand, didn't we?"

"Mmm, that we did." The other brunette agreed. Her brow quirked and she leant closer, connecting her lips with Carla's. "It was amazing."

Carla looked immensely pleased at her statement; her hand cupped Michelle's cheek and she lightly grazed her thumb over her skin. It had been. Once her nerves had completely dissipated and she knew for certain the younger woman was just as satisfied as she had been, their night had only just started. "So no regrets?"

"Are you kidding?" Michelle laughed, shaking her head, before resting it against the other woman's. "Only that we didn't do it sooner."

"You've been here less than forty-eight hours, 'Chelle. Some would say that was pretty quick work." She teased, lightly prodding her cheek.

"I don't know why you're looking so pleased, you lured me in and practically stole my innocence."

Carla burst into laughter, fixing the younger woman with a sceptical look, her lips pursed. "You, innocent? Pull the other one. We're both going to hell."

"You were going there anyway, whether you'd slept with me or not." Michelle fired back playfully.

"Well, one sin is worth a thousand. We might as well do it properly." She raised her brow, a pointed look on her face as she kissed her again. Her hands wound around her waist and Michelle was pulled closer. She responded eagerly, their limbs tangled together as the other woman's hand wound into her hair...

"_I don't know, she not in her room!" _Kate's muffled voice came from the landing. _"She might have gone out early to see Roy, I'll ask Michelle—"_

They broke apart quickly. Three loud knocks sounded on the door and then it was pushed open.

"Michelle, have you seen Carla she's not in her—" Kate broke off; both women had yanked the duvet to their necks; a panicked whimper sounded from Michelle's lips. "Ah. She's in yours." She clapped her hand over her mouth and snickered into her palm. Jenny's voice came from somewhere downstairs and Kate quickly stuck her head out of the door. "No, it's okay, I've got her! She's _talking _to Michelle!"

"_Does Michelle want a brew fetching up?"_

"No! No don't come up here! They're— they're last minute present wrapping!"

"_Kate! _Close the damn door!" Carla hissed. She stepped into the room and quickly did as she was told. The older woman looked at her incredulously. "I clearly meant with you on the other side of it."

"This isn't— we were just—" Michelle started, but Carla nudged her softly and nodded towards Kate.

"It's okay, she knows."

"_What?"_

"That's how I ended up getting walloped on the head with that mistletoe." Carla mumbled, throwing Kate a look.

"That was _you?"_

"Me, Jenny and Ryan." Kate shrugged.

Michelle's eyes widened and she turned to Carla with a panicked look in her face. She was confused as to why the other woman looked so calm and unsurprised by the news.

"They guessed." Carla explained. Her hand found Michelle's under the duvet and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. "No one else knows."

"We're trusting Jenny to keep her gob shut?"

"Oh she's got far too much to worry about." Kate waved her hand. "Why are you hiding it anyway?"

"We're not. We just don't need a big announcement when we're still working things out." Carla answered. "Anyway, can you just... just turn around for a second?"

Kate rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Carla looked pointedly at Michelle and the other woman quickly extracted a nightshirt from the bedside drawers and handed it to the older brunette. She pulled her own robe from the floor and wrapped it around herself, before smoothing her hair down.

"Right, what did Jenny want me for?" Carla asked, once she'd pulled the shirt over her head and could finally sit up properly.

"She's going mental because she said you'd promised to peel the sprouts and she's not got time to because she's doing the rest of the veg. I'd have offered but she's got me on pigs in blankets." Kate sounded exasperated. She flopped down on the end of the bed. "She's not to be tested. She had a skinful last night. You two weren't the only ones having yourselves _a merry little Christmas._" She grinned, looking from Carla to Michelle and winking at them. The latter cleared her throat, picking at a random thread in the duvet. "Seriously though, you better come down soon. They want to do gifts as well."

"Yeah, we will. Go on, get gone." Carla nodded towards the door and Kate sighed. She reluctantly pulled herself back up and shuffled towards the door.

"Can I just ask one thing? Did it completely blow your mind and make you realise how much you'd been missing out? Like are your lives totally changed for the be—" She was cut off abruptly when Carla launched a cushion across the room and hit her squarely in the face.

"_Out!"_

"Merry Christmas to you, too!" With a final smirk, she threw the pillow back at her sister and left the room, closing the door behind her. Carla turned to Michelle and tried to work out the expression on her face.

"Sorry... are you alright?"

"How did they guess?" Michelle asked. She wasn't sure how she felt about anyone knowing. It wasn't news she wanted broadcasted. Maybe it was because, as Carla had said, they didn't know themselves what was going to happen.

"I don't—I don't think we've been…Subtle. I mean I know we've always been close but—"

"You mean when you were _flirting w_ith me in the pub?" Michelle cut across her, a grin across her face.

"I was never!" Carla tried to protest, though she looked sheepish. "Anyway, you started it. You waltzed in throwing all those compliments at me."

"I wasn't flirting though; I was just being truthful." Michelle shrugged; she reached out and wound a strand of Carla's hair around her finger. "You a_re _gorgeous."

Carla glanced down; her lips pressed together. She tried not to look too pleased at Michelle's words, but a shy smirk painted her features. "Anyway, Kate cornered me in the café and asked if it had worked and I did tell her we kissed." Carla admitted, hoping Michelle wouldn't be mad. "She knew that I—I mean, she knew how I felt about you before I'd even done anything about it."

It was Michelle's turn to look away, she could feel her skin warming. It was unspoken, neither of them had said exactly what it was. They'd been able to text one another it every single day but now admitting it out loud after everything that had transpired, knowing that it would have a very different meaning seemed terrifying. Or maybe it would leave them too heartbroken when Michelle inevitably had to say goodbye again.

"We should probably get downstairs, soon."

"Mm…Oh, actually, wait here a sec!" Carla pulled back to corner of the duvet and wriggled out of bed, adjusting the night shirt against her thighs as she did. "I won't be long."

"Where are you-?" Michelle started, but Carla had disappeared out of the room. She heard a voice from downstairs and Carla call down that she'd be 'literally five minutes', causing her to smile to herself. Her phone buzzed from the beside table and she picked it up. There were messages from Ryan and Ali texting her Merry Christmas and asking what time they should come around. Michelle had no idea how they were all going to fit around the table in the backroom; but Johnny had insisted on a family Christmas that year.

The door opened again and Carla slipped back into the room, carrying a wrapped box in her hands. She passed it over to Michelle and shuffled back into bed, pulling the duvet over her legs. "Here, open this away from the others. I don't want them to accuse me of favouritism." She smirked.

"So, I'm your favourite?" Michelle asked, raising a cocky brow. Carla nudged her lightly and prodded the box encouragingly. The younger woman pulled off the stick-on bow and pressed it on the top of Carla's head.

"Look, I know _I'm _the greatest gift you could possibly receive," Carla smirked, removing the bow from her hair. "But can you please just open it? I want to see your face."

"Full of yourself, you are." Michelle mumbled, peeling back the corner of the red and gold wrapping. The label came into view straight away and the younger woman's mouth dropped. "You didn't? You _can't _have…" She continued to peel off the paper, popping off the lid of a weighted box until a distinctive bottle came into view.

"It's the one you liked, isn't it? That one you kept banging on about after clocking it in duty free." Carla laughed, the disbelief in Michelle's face warming her chest.

"Yeah but… But this… This costs _hundreds._" She whispered, carefully inspecting the perfume bottle, running her fingertips over the deep purple glass, the raised gold embellishment on the bottle. "You can't give me this…"

"Of course I can. I nearly got one for myself too, you're right it does smell amazing, but I ended up with that other _Chanel _one instead; it was a bit more 'me'." She shrugged, picking up the box and inspecting the back of it. Michelle had gone on and on for weeks about how it was the best perfume she'd ever come across and how it was worth visiting stores that stocked it just for a free sample spray, but she'd need a lottery win to justify spending that much money on a whim.

"Carla… Seriously?" Michelle's voice was weak; she was still examining the gift in complete awe. "I don't—I don't know what to say."

"Just say thank you and kiss me."

"Thank you." Michelle pulled the other woman to her and pressed a firm kiss against her lips. "Thank you _so _much." She continued to kiss her; the tip of her tongue probed the seam of Carla's mouth and the older woman let her in, enjoying the contact.

"See, even if Kate hadn't interfered, I'd have managed to buy my way into your bed at least."

"_Oi!" _Michelle slapped her arm playfully; Carla's giggles muffled by her lips. She broke off and planted them down the older brunette's neck, nipping at her skin.

"Mm. 'Chelle. Don't work me up I've got to get downstairs." Carla murmured, though didn't do anything to stop the younger woman when her hand sneaked beneath her nightshirt and trailed up her stomach.

"Go, then." Michelle whispered. She suddenly stopped her ministrations, jumped out of bed and walked across to the en-suite door. "Don't let me get in the way." She smirked, pulling at the ties on her robe. The material slid down her back, pooled by her feet and she glanced over her shoulder at the other brunette. Carla scanned the length of her, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Sod the flippin' sprouts." She muttered and jumped out of bed herself. She was just about to grab hold of the other woman when an urgent shout carried to the room.

"_Carla! Roy is coming over to see you in five minutes and I could _really _use your help if it's not too much to ask!"_

The older brunette groaned in frustration and stomped over to the door, yanking it open. "I'm _coming!" _She yelled; teeth gritted together.

"Not anymore you're not." Michelle coughed, ignoring the glare Carla shot at her. "Go on, I_ might_ let you pick up where we left off, later." She grinned. "I'm going to have a quick shower and I'll see you down there." She bit her lip, trailed her own hand down her chest with her eyes firmly fixated on Carla's. "I'll be…thinking…about you."

Carla's eyes darkened; her stomach flipped at what the other woman was suggesting. She dragged her gaze over the length of Michelle's figure again, a longing expression on her face before letting out a disappointed groan and exiting the room.

"_What happened to peace on Earth, Jenny?!"_

**|X|X|X|**

"Are you sure I can't help with anything?" Michelle offered for the third time. Jenny looked stressed and pale from a hangover; she'd finished peeling vegetables and had started to whisk something in a large plastic bowl at the table. In the kitchen, Carla carved crosses into sprouts dumped them unceremoniously in them into a pan of water while Kate sat cross-legged on the sofa; a brand-new photo album sprawled across her lap that she slotted snaps from the last year into.

"No, love, honestly. We're just about finished now." Michelle was sure she heard a scoff from in the kitchen at her words. Jenny dropped the whisk she was holding and swiped her hand across her brow. "I think I might be better off with the electric one, this isn't thickening at all."

"Let Michelle have a go; she might have more stamina, better wrist work." Kate muttered slyly, completely unfazed at the glare the other brunette shot her.

The comment went over Jenny's head, who gave the bowl she was holding another feeble stir. "Actually love, would you mind nipping into the cupboard and seeing if the electric one's there? I can't remember if I let Rita borrow it."

Michelle got to her feet and sauntered into the kitchen, creeping up on Carla. She pressed herself into her back, her hips pushed up against her as she stretched over. "Sorry, darlin', can I get to this cupboard?" She whispered; her breath hot in her ear. Carla's own hitched and she pushed back slightly, her back arched. "I like that top on you." She breathed into her ear and smoothed a hand down dark red silk. "Maybe later you'll let me take it _off _you…" She pulled the cupboard door open and grabbed hold of the whisk Jenny had requested. Before Carla could even respond she'd removed herself from the kitchen. Carla shook her head, the knife she was using slipped and almost sliced her finger as she mentally vowed to get the younger woman back.

"Right, I've just checked the stock receipts and we definitely ordered ginger beer." Johnny entered the living room carrying sheets of paper. "So, they must be down in the cellar; we just won't have looked properly." He stifled a huge yawn and sat down heavily in a chair.

"Are you okay? You look tired?" Michelle asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm alright love. Just been a busy morning."

"Well let me go down for the mixers." She offered, taking a few steps towards the door. "What do you need?"

"No, it's alright. We need a whole crate; I don't want you carrying that up."

"Johnny, I'm perfectly capable!" Michelle rolled her eyes. "You need to take it easy; you've been at it non-stop for the last two days. I'll bring up what I can and if you need anything else the lads will be around later." She spoke with a finality that he didn't dare argue with and disappeared from the room.

"Stick the kettle on, Carla!" Kate called from the sofa; on the final page of her album. Johnny went to sit next to her and together they began to flick through it. She pointed out the different places while the whir of the kettle sounded from the kitchen.

"I don't want to look at another sprout ever again." Carla huffed, perching on the arm of the sofa. "Where's 'Chelle?"

"Gone down to the cellar for ginger beer."

"Right, I'll go see if she needs a hand." Carla decided instantly. She ignored the exaggerated cough from Kate and deliberately avoided her eye as she made her way to the cellar door. She pulled it open quietly and found Michelle at the bottom of the steps. She had her back to her and was crouched down, tearing at the blue plastic film covering stacked crates and muttering darkly to herself about ginger beer.

"Not the worst view." Carla reasoned, causing the other woman to jump.

"What're you doing?" Michelle asked, pulling herself upright. Carla didn't respond at first; she just began a slow descent down the stairs. Confidence bordering on arrogance was plastered across her features, the corner of her mouth pulled into a smirk.

"Smug, aren't you? Tormenting me like that…" Her voice was low, green eyes dark and fixed firmly on the younger woman's. Michelle's stomach flipped. She had that look; it reminded her of the days in _Underworld_; the times Carla had the upper hand and she was about to go to town on her target and tear them apart. It was a look she hadn't seen across her face in a long time; there was a fierceness in her grin, but she managed to catch a playful hint hidden somewhere in deep green orbs. Carla grabbed two fistfuls of her top and yanked her forward. Michelle felt the pulse of desire ripple through her even before Carla kissed her, hard. She backed her up against the cellar wall and pulled her mouth away, chuckling at the disappointment on Michelle's face.

"Carla—"

"Ah. No." She raised her fingertip and pressed it against her lips. "Not a sound." She locked eyes with Michelle, narrowed her own slightly. She was searching for hesitance, any sign that the other woman wasn't comfortable and when she received no resistance, she leaned in again and caught her lower lip between her teeth, nipping her gently. She was sure Michelle had stopped breathing. Her own heart hammered in her chest, but it was with nothing other than utter need. The previous night had started a fire that hadn't been doused; even when they'd collapsed against the sheets together completely exhausted. She resumed their kiss; parted Michelle's lips with her tongue and in one smooth motion her hand had dropped from the younger woman's chest and dipped straight into her leggings and beneath a satin waistband. Michelle gasped into her mouth and Carla had to fight not to make a sound herself; the younger woman was slick, heated and Carla entered her swiftly with ease. The act caused Michelle to tear her mouth away from Carla's and cry out. Her legs had weakened and the older brunette pressed her harder into the wall.

"Shh…" She whispered, using her other hand to gently tip her chin. "You're going to have to be quiet, or I swear I'm going to stop." Carla had already begun to move against her in firm strokes and the younger woman tipped her head back, closing her eyes as she fought not to release another moan of approval at the pleasure that pulsed from every nerve.

"God, I thought I knew you 'Chelle, but I learnt so much_ more_ about you, last night." Carla murmured, her fingertips stroking down her cheek. "I know you like it when I do this—" she angled her wrist just so, curled her fingers and Michelle's body jerked forward. Her eyes were tightly closed, lips pressed together in an effort to keep the noise to a minimum, but tiny whimpers caught in the back of her throat. She touched her forehead to Michelle's, her skin warmed by her heavy exhales. She started to press gentle kisses against her mouth. "I learnt that that you're sensitive, _here_…" Her fingertips fell from her cheek to just underneath her jaw and her lips followed; she planted an open-mouthed kiss there, sucking lightly at her skin and Michelle quivered, letting out a heavy sigh. Every reaction she drew out of the younger woman made her dizzy with exhilaration. She pushed against her harder, increasing her speed and Michelle's breath turned into heavy gasping. She clutched fistfuls of Carla's shirt; her hands balled tightly around the material. Carla bumped her forehead against the other brunette's once more; their lips grazing. Carla kissed her between each of her jagged breaths. "Do you want to know my favourite thing that I learnt about you, though?" She whispered against her. Michelle didn't respond.

"Answer me."

"Yes!" The words left her mouth in a strangled cry; her hips rocked uncontrollably against the other woman's hand. Carla smirked, dragging her lips up by her ear. The tip of her tongue flicked out to trace the shell of it; she licked a slow, wet line that followed the curve.

"_The way you taste."_

Michelle collapsed against her; the release so intense that her knees gave out. Carla quickly coiled an arm around her waist to keep her upright. Her head dropped against her shoulder and she bit down but it still wasn't enough to stop the shouts of ecstasy that tore from her throat; she could only attempt to muffle it against the material of Carla's top.

"I've got you, baby." Carla whispered and squeezed her tighter, trying to keep the quivering woman in her arms from slipping to the ground while she came down from the intense high. She nuzzled into her, prising her up from her shoulder, and kissed her desperately, swallowing each one of her cries. Carla gently extracted herself from the younger brunette, the movement causing her to jolt and murmur. "Sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you didn't—just an overload…" A breathy laugh escaped her lips, her breathing still hadn't returned to normal.

"Oh," Carla chuckled; she nudged her nose against Michelle's, their lips connecting for a moment. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Enjoy it? I've still got blurred vision. Give me a second." She panted; both of her hands were still wrapped around the material of Carla's shirt as she attempted to steady herself.

Carla laughed again, pulling back slightly to meet her gaze. They d_id _look slightly out of focus. She stroked down her cheek, letting out an affectionate little hum.

"Seriously, where did _that _come from?" Michelle shook her head; her heart had started to calm, and she was finally able to process rational thought. "If I'd have known I was going to get sex like that, I'd have hopped into the sack with you years ago."

"_Michelle!"_ Carla spluttered, and the pair of them went again; the sound of their laughter echoed around the cellar. "We're not in the sack anyway, we're in the flamin' cellar. We should probably make a move before they come looking."

"Mm…" Michelle nodded, suddenly looking serious. "You can't be upsetting Jenny anymore today; she'll swing for you. And I need you fighting fit for what I'm planning to do to you later."

Carla bit her lip, not bothering to hide the sly grin that formed across her face. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

**|X|X|X|**

"Uh…Film? Two words…Okay, second word…Uh, pray?" Michelle frowned, trying to figure out what Kate was trying to gesture to them. "Please? Plead?" Kate let out an exasperated sigh and pointed up towards the ceiling. "Sky?"

She was sprawled out on the sofa with Carla; the older brunette was tucked comfortably under her arm. Ryan was slumped in the armchair looking sleepy and Ali was sat at the kitchen table with some brain training puzzle he'd received as a stocking filler, while simultaneously trying to keep up with the game of Charades. Despite the stress, dinner had been a success and both Jenny and Johnny had gone for an afternoon walk before the bar was due to open.

"It's _The Godfather_," Ryan laughed, and Kate clapped her hands.

"Finally!" She dropped the card onto the pile on the table and swapped places with Ryan, who picked up another.

"How did you get that from her daft pointing? You must have seen the card." Michelle teased, her hand ruffling Carla's hair; she lightly massaged her scalp and felt the other brunette relax into her further. Her other hand dipped into the tin of chocolates that were balanced on the arm of the sofa.

"How can you have room for chocolate after what we just had?" Ryan shot back.

"Because I didn't put away four whole helpings of everything on the table followed by three lots of Jenny's trifle." Michelle shrugged, biting into it, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Ew, I hate coffee ones—"

"I like them." Carla tipped her head back, mouth open; Michelle dropped the other half in and kissed the top of her head.

Ali's hands froze on the wooden puzzled he shot them a confused look; his brow furrowed like he was trying to work something out. He quickly turned to Ryan, who merely shrugged and then to Kate who offered the exact same gesture.

"Am I missing something?" He began, only for Ryan to cut him off.

"Yeah; a high enough IQ to finish that puzzle." Ryan tormented. Ali tried to swat him with his hand, but he managed to jump out of the way. He picked a card up from the table. "Right, here we go."

Carla turned her head to look at Michelle, whose fingers were still lightly tangled in her hair, and she stroked her own along her cheek for a moment. Michelle had seemed in good spirits all day, especially after their impromptu encounter in the pub cellar, but Carla searched her eyes regardless, looking for anything masked.

"I'm fine," Michelle whispered; she removed her hand from Carla's hair, placed it over the one she had against her cheek and linked their fingers. "I've had an amazing day; this is exactly what I needed. Us and our family…"

"Sure?" Carla pressed, though was certain she meant it. A smile crept across her face; she couldn't hide how pleased she was that Michelle felt the exact same way she did.

Michelle stroked over the back of her hand, before she brought it to her lips and kissed it. "Do you want to sneak off, in a bit? Curl up under the duvet and binge-watch cheesy movies?"

The other woman nodded; her fingertip grazed over Michelle's lower lip. It sounded like the perfect way to finish off the evening. Jenny's constant string of parties, while being a nice thought, had been a bit of an overkill. There were only so many nights she could sit and indulge in sausage rolls and orange juice while she listened the same Christmas playlist. Besides, she didn't seem to have been missed the previous night when she'd sloped off with the younger brunette. She felt her skin heat up at the memory and she tried to dislodge the thought from her mind.

"What the hell is that?" Kate laughed, causing both women to snap their heads in her direction. But she was looking at Ryan, who had his hand pointed outwards on the top of his head, while he swayed from side to side.

Michelle spluttered. Beside her Carla let out a cackle of laughter and both of them called out at the same time.

"_Jaws!"_

**|X|X|X|**

"Mm... stop it. I'm not waking up today." Carla croaked and batted Michelle away as she rolled over in bed. The younger woman had been planting kisses along her shoulder in an attempt to slowly rouse her from sleep.

"Why not?"

"Because it's the day you're leaving. And I don't want this day to exist."

Michelle laughed quietly, though her chest pulsed with sadness. She'd woken up in immediate turmoil. The thought of going made her stomach heavy; the thought of staying leaving her panicked. She wanted her best friend, she wanted reassurance that whatever happened was for the best, that it would be okay. Michelle shuffled closer and attempted to brush her hand over her hair. Carla ignored her and pulled the duvet further over herself until it almost covered her head completely.

"Not until tonight, though." She whispered. Again, she attempted to lean over and peel back the blanket, but as she pressed her lips against the other woman's cheek, Carla jolted her body away.

"I'm tired." She snapped, leaving the other woman confused for a moment.

"Right." She nodded, as she swung her legs out of bed. "I've got to start packing, anyway."

Carla was silent, but Michelle was far from it as she started to bang about the bedroom. She brought down her suitcase, opened the wardrobe and pulled clothes from hangers. The side of the bed she'd slept on all week now held the half open case, which was filled with neatly folded items of clothing. Carla remained still, but Michelle knew she wasn't asleep.

"This was my last morning waking up with you—"

"Not my fault." Came the stony reply, half muffled in the mass of pillows.

"No, it's mine, isn't it? That's what you're saying."

Carla didn't answer.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Michelle started to throw in the rest of her belongings; she didn't bother to try and be quiet. In fact, she deliberately barged around the room once more, searching for shoes and stray jewellery. She'd only been here a week, but somehow her possessions had managed to scatter themselves into every corner. Each noise she made caused Carla to let out a sigh of annoyance, until finally it was Michelle who snapped.

"Well if you're tired, go in your own room! I've got to get this done whether you like it or not."

"Fine!" Carla swung out of bed and dragged her robe around her body. She started to make her way towards the door. "I think this was a mistake." She uttered the words so quietly that it took a moment for them to register with the younger woman.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Don't. Don't you do this, not now."

Michelle sat down on the bed and dropped her head in her hands. She let out a heavy sigh. "Carla, we talked about this. I asked if you were sure, over and over. You knew the score."

"The _score? _Carla scoffed, shaking her head. "What? Was this just a—an experimental fling? Now you're going to jet off back to Ireland and settle down with some dishy, charmin' Irish fella and we just go back to pretending this never happened?"

"What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?"

Carla swallowed, struggling to keep her emotions at bay. "We've spent all week acting like—like we—" She broke off. She didn't attempt to leave the room, but she kept her distance from Michelle. The younger woman had tears in her eyes; her lower lip trembled and she quickly looked away.

"What happens now?" Carla asked quietly. Her heart was constricted in her chest; she didn't want to know the answer.

"I don't know…"

"What've we been playing at?" The older brunette whispered, mostly to herself. "Are we going to go back to being just friends?"

"I—I don't—"

"Is that what you want?"

Michelle didn't answer.

"_Michelle!"_

"_I don't know_!" The younger woman cried as tears spilled down her cheeks. "What do you want me to say? What is it you want me to tell you?"

"Nothing." Carla snapped. "You've given me everything I needed to know." She reached for the door again, had every intention of leaving but the wave of sadness that crashed over her forced a sob that she hadn't even realised she'd needed to release. Her hand missed the handle and she pressed her palm flat against the wood, shoulders hunched.

"Oh god, Carla…" Michelle was on her feet before her brain registered the movement. They automatically carried her over to the other woman. "Don't… Please don't. I'm sorry."

Carla allowed herself to sink into the younger woman's embrace. She wasn't angry, it was far from what she felt in her chest. It hurt, knowing she was going away again, and she knew Michelle was every bit as mixed up about things as she was. She could hardly expect the younger woman to know the answers when she had no idea herself.

"We can sort this, we can. Come on…" Michelle lead her to the bed, the pair of them sank onto the mattress and Carla reached out for her hands. "I didn't mean to upset you, that's the last thing I want to do." She looked devastated. There were tears on her cheeks too and Carla reached up to brush them away.

"I know," She sniffed, taking a breath that caused her body to shudder. "I just… I'm going to miss you so much and—this really means something to me."

"Hey," Michelle moved her hands to her cheeks and held her face, making sure their eyes were connected. She looked serious. "Carla, this means something to me too."

"I know you're going, okay? But, hypothetically, if you were staying…What would we be doing?" Carla's insides twisted with nerves, her stomach squirmed, and she fought to keep her eyes on Michelle's. "Do you really think we'd—we'd be together?"

"You don't think I slept with you because I knew I could run away from it, do you?"

Carla shook her head. She reached up and placed her hand on Michelle's cheek. "I'm asking because it's what I'd want. And I want to know if we're on the same page." She shook her head slightly, released a breath of laughter. "God, it sounds crazy… Never in a million years did I see myself with you like that but it feels—"

"Like the most natural thing in the world?" The younger woman asked with a smile, giving a small nod. "I know what you mean. I feel comfortable with you. And it's strange, a good strange but I…It's what I'd want. A _relationship… _A relationship with you." Michelle bit her lip, the admission hadn't felt as foreign on her tongue as she thought it would.

Carla laughed, and the sound lit Michelle's face up. She searched the younger woman's face, her own expression one of disbelief. But the younger woman's eyes were certain and despite her impending departure and the heaviness that had settled in her chest when she awoke; Carla felt hopeful. She reached out and gestured for her to come closer; they fell into a close embrace.

"Then go back… Go back to Ireland and heal." She murmured, stroking a hand over her hair.

"You know I'm not going to run off with some _dishy, charming, Irish fella, _don't you?" Michelle pulled back slightly and placed her hand beneath the other brunette's chin. "See, there's this stubborn, northern, moody mare that I have to leave and she's pretty unforgettable."

Carla let out a hum of amusement, her eyes locked with the younger woman's. She moved closer until their foreheads lightly touched. "She sounds a bit of a nightmare…"

"I won't argue." Michelle teased, though reached down and linked their fingers together. "Carla, this week with you has been amazing. You are special to me." She reached out and placed her hand over the necklace she was wearing; Carla hadn't removed it since Michelle had fastened it there. "I've got time off in February, I could come back and see you, then…"

Carla nodded. She moved herself back against the headboard and pulled Michelle with her. The younger woman settled against her; head tucked beneath her chin. Carla was quiet as she soaked up the moment, relished the feeling of having her in her arms. "Nina comes back from Uni again in April; Roy won't need me to help out as much because she does, so I could come over to Ireland for a few days."

"Yeah?" Michelle glanced up at her. A smiled formed across her face as Carla nodded. She dipped down but didn't quite meet her lips.

"We can try and make something work, can't we? I know it's a risk and there's a chance it'll be too hard but I'm not giving us up. Not yet."

"I'm glad to hear it…And not just because it turns out the sex is incredible."

"'Chelle!" Carla spluttered, tapping the top of her arm playfully. But she didn't deny it. She couldn't. The way they had connected had been completely unexpected. She thought there'd be more nerves, awkward touches until they'd figured things out but they'd slotted together in a way that made her think she'd found something that she couldn't ever search for. The younger woman sealed the gap between them and captured her lips in a gentle kiss and Carla responded just as softly. They lingered together for a moment.

"We'll be okay." Michelle whispered; the words warm against her mouth. "I promise."

**|X|X|X|**

Ryan wheeled the suitcase over to the door of the Rovers. "Who even gets a flight New Year's Eve?" He shook his head, though turned to Michelle with a smile on his face.

"Well it was a good deal. Besides, I'm back on shift tomorrow afternoon. The restaurant won't manage itself." She sighed, reaching out to pull him into her arms. "I'll miss you though."

The Rovers wasn't quiet, but it was only full of regular punters, so Ryan didn't mind the display of affection too much. Michelle checked through the doors and saw the cab she'd ordered was parked on the curb. She made her way back over to the bar, where the rest of her family had gathered.

"You should have let me drive you to the airport." Carla sighed. She struggled to keep the emotion she felt from showing on her face. They'd spent a lazy morning and part of the afternoon curled in bed together and then Johnny had barrelled them all across to _Speed daal _for a final family meal. It was nearing nine o'clock now, and she'd spent her last couple of hours 'last minute packing', with Carla having _insisted_ she helped.

"I don't want you out driving late on." Michelle wrapped her arms around her neck. "Or when you're going to be upset. You should be here with the family, celebrating the new year."

Carla resisted the urge to quip back that so should she; instead she nodded and reluctantly let her go so she could say her goodbyes to everyone else.

"We'll have a drink for you!" Jenny grinned as they shared a quick hug.

"Safe trip, sweetheart." Johnny was next.

"Tell Aunty Helen happy new year from me!" Kate flung her arms around Michelle's neck and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

"See you soon, mum. I love you." Michelle struggled not to get emotional herself. She squeezed Ali tight, the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The glanced at the six of them; she thought that maybe she might even miss Jenny. The redheaded woman was already buzzed; her eyes looked far too bright and she was sure one of the glasses on the bar was hers.

"Are you sure we can't see you off?" Johnny offered, but Michelle shook her head.

"No, no, you lot stay here in the warm. Carla's going to nip out with me." She gave them all a final nod. "Right… Happy New Year, then. I'll see you all soon."

Choruses of 'goodbye' and 'safe flight' followed her out of the doors. Carla's hand clutched hers tightly as they made their way towards the taxi. Michelle had purposely decided against ordering from _StreetCars_. While the driver loaded her case into the boot, Michelle pulled open one of the back doors and perched in the seat.

Carla dropped her gaze to the cobbles. "I know what we said, but… Don't put your life on hold for me, okay?"

"Carla…"

"If this doesn't work, if you meet someone—"

"Stop it, please." Michelle pleaded. Her eyes swam with tears.

"No, 'Chelle, just listen a sec." "" Carla whispered, her tone desperate. "You're my best friend and that's never going to change, alright? I want the best for you, always. So be happy. Be _safe. _And no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

Michelle shook her head and reached out; her fingertips wrapped around the leather of her jacket and she pulled her down towards her. There were tears on her face, Carla felt the wet against her own skin as she kissed her. She poured every ounce of herself into it; it was desperate and longing and they lingered as long as they dared.

"Text me when you land, okay? Safe flight, baby…" Carla brushed the younger woman's tears away.

"I'll see you soon. I promise." Michelle choked. Her voice cracked and she didn't want Carla to see her like that. She grabbed hold of the door and the other woman stepped back as she closed it. The engine started and so did the ache in her chest. She watched the vehicle drive right to the end of the road; the further away it got, the further her heart sank.

It finally rounded the corner and she collapsed back against the wall. The tears flowed then and she covered her face as the sobs wracked her body. She wasn't looking when Kate's head appeared around the door. She didn't say a word, just walked over to her sister and wrapped her up in a hug that she gratefully accepted.

"Hey, it'll be okay. She's not gone forever."

**|X|X|X|**

The Rovers was cosy. It was full of warmth and chatter; people laughed and clinked glasses together. It was almost quarter to midnight and Carla was perched on a stool on the bar. It had taken her some time, but she'd managed to pull herself together. After a quick make-up fix and a stern word with herself in the mirror, she'd headed back into the Rover's purely because she wanted to avoid going up to her room. The one she hadn't slept in since Michelle's second night here, the one she hadn't needed to stay in because Michelle had wanted her right there. She'd made idle conversation with Johnny whenever he'd had a moment free from serving, but otherwise sat and stirred the orange juice with a paper straw that was seconds away from decomposing in the glass. He threw her sympathetic glances here and there, patted the back of her hand comfortingly whenever he walked by. She knew she _should _be happy; she'd gained a whole new part of Michelle she'd never dreamed she'd have, but she felt like she'd lost her all over again.

"Come on, Aunty Carla, come and watch the fireworks with us." Ryan pestered while he prodded the brunette's shoulder. "it's better than being sat here looking miserable."

Him, Kate and Ali were all stood together, bundled in coats and scarves. It was the cricket club over the tram lines that were hosting the display; however, the residents had been told if they gathered around the viaduct at midnight, they too could witness what had been branded as unmissable.

"It's a few rockets and roman candles," Carla sighed, though picked up her own coat regardless. "It's hardly worth standing in the cold for."

"My thoughts exactly." Jenny slurred; she helped herself to another glass of wine as she spoke, despite the fact she was still serving. "I'm staying in the warm."

"Well, you can stay here with the pensioners if you like, Carla. If you think it's a bit too nippy for your bones…" Kate began, though had to duck quickly when the older brunette swiped at her. Her goading seemed to have done the trick though and together the four of them made their way out of the pub. There was already a crowd gathered; some of them waved sparklers around while others stumbled and struggled to stay on two feet. A group huddled together laughed loudly and swigged from cans of beer as they shouted over one another.

"Only ten minutes to go. I love new year, don't you? I always get a rush when they start counting down." Ryan grinned, though he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Mind you, that's when I was in Ibiza and everyone went mental."

Carla tucked her scarf further around herself; the night air bit at her face and she could hear the faint thump of music from the cricket club on the other side of the viaduct. Just behind her, Tracy and Steve argued about New Year's resolutions and slightly further away Simon and Amy stood and slyly passed a plastic bottle to one another that Carla was certain didn't contain only water. They caught her staring and she merely raised her hand and waved, shooting them a wink. She glanced at her phone; Michelle should have landed by now. She was probably stuck at the luggage carousel waiting for her case or in the arrivals line. She brought up her contact and hovered over the message button, but then realised her server was down. Typical. The crowd had grown rowdier, people sang along to the music and Kate and Ali were engaged in a conversation about work. Carla turned to listen to them.

"Yeah I was thinking of… Of maybe looking into what I'd need to get into nursing. You know for…" Kate trailed off, though a smile formed across her lips. "I'm probably too old, now, to be deciding to do anything like that."

"You're barely in your thirties. You could be qualified by thirty-five if you were serious." Ali reasoned.

"_Three minutes to go!" _Ryan shouted into the crowd, who started to cheer and shout in response. A black cab pulled up on the corner by Dev's and Ryan narrowed his eyes. "No way…" The cab driver got out and popped his boot. He took out a familiar shiny, black suitcase. "_Mum?"_

Carla whipped around. She followed Ryan's line of sight and her heart leapt as a figure in dark coat lined with fur paid and thanked the cab driver.

"Michelle?" She whispered, which caused Ali and Kate to look around. She blinked hard, certain her mind was playing tricks on her. "_Michelle!"_

The younger woman's head snapped up at her call and Carla's stomach flipped as she abandoned her suitcase and dashed across the cobbles.

"What the—What's going on?" The older woman held out her arms and Michelle fell into them. Carla felt herself pulled into an embrace as crushing as the one they'd shared upon her first arrival. "Hey, are you okay? What's happened?"

Michelle's eyes streamed; she stepped back and met Carla's concerned gaze. "I couldn't get on the flight." She cried; her arms still wrapped loosely around her neck.

"I don't understand?" Carla frowned. The younger woman cupped her cheeks and shook her head; more tears leaked from her eyes and Carla reached up to brush them away.

"I couldn't leave you; I couldn't do it."

"What're you saying?" Carla whispered. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest; hope had already started to build. Michelle let out a sound that was part sob, part laughter as she touched her forehead to Carla's. The older brunette trembled slightly, it reminded her too much like before. The first time she'd tried to leave but came back, the second time she'd watched her drive away only to be crushed when she didn't; and this time, so much like the first, but there was no way she could be saying what Carla thought she was.

"I want to be with you. I don't want to fall asleep on the phone to you, I want to fall asleep next to you." Michelle confessed, before she dipped and pecked her mouth; too quick to cause any unwanted attention. But the countdown had started, and that had everyone's focus. "I'm staying."

"_Ten, nine, eight…"_

"Michelle, are you sure? Because if you're not, if you're not ready to stay—"

"_six, five…."_

"I love you." She spoke with certainty, the way she always did when she said it. But the way she'd always meant it before wasn't the way she meant it now. "Carla, I _love _you. You understand what I mean, don't you? You know—"

"_two, one…"_

Carla kissed her. She'd placed one hand behind her head and silenced her rambling in the most effective way she knew how. Tears slid down her cheeks, but she laughed against the younger woman's mouth. The screamed chorus of _Happy New Year_ barely registered; she wrapped her arms around Michelle's waist and pulled her closer. Even behind closed lids she saw pulses of light as the fireworks were released. They assaulted the night air; banged and fizzed and screamed, mingled with cheers and slurred, out of tune renditions of _Auld Lang Syne_ that neither of them cared to join in with. Michelle ran a hand through her hair, the other rested in the middle of her back to keep her steady as she responded affectionately.

"Oh my god, are they smashed? They must be blotto!" Tracy cackled; she smacked Steve's shoulder and pointed to the pair.

"No, they're in love." Kate smirked; she exchanged a triumphant glance with Ryan and they high-fived one another.

"You must be smashed, an' all!" She clearly thought Kate was pulling her leg.

"Did you two know something was going on?" Ali asked the pair, looking from the two women who were still locked in an embrace, to where Ryan and Kate celebrated.

"Your emotional intelligence has always been severely lacking." Ryan grinned, though reached out and slapped a hand on his back. "Happy new year, mate."

Carla had been right; the fireworks were basic, and the crowd started to grow more and more interested in _their _display. When she gently ended their kiss, it was to a chorus of wolf whistles and several people, including the younger three Connor's, clapped.

"I love you, too, 'Chelle." She whispered, focused only on the hazel hues in front of her. She was close enough to that the younger woman heard her despite the pyrotechnics. "You understand what I mean, don't you?" She teased and nudged her nose playfully against hers. Michelle laughed, tilted her head and kissed her again, briefly but just as meaningful. She wiped beneath her eyes once more and the pair of them were suddenly engulfed in a hug from Ryan, who'd all but dived on them.

"You two!" He grinned while he dropped a kiss on top of Michelle's head. "You're so dramatic."

"We'd better get over to the pub; someone might tell Johnny before we do…" Michelle suggested. There was a flicker of worry across her features for a second before it was replaced with determination. Ali and Ryan offered to grab her luggage and Kate slipped into step beside the two women. Carla laced her fingers through Michelle's, their hands swinging as they walked together.

"I'm so happy for you both. You're going to make a proper go, aren't you?"

"Well, I didn't skip my flight and email over my notice just for another quickie in the cellar." Michelle joked without thinking, then suddenly froze, her eyes wide and guilty when she remembered they weren't alone.

"_Michelle!"_ Carla hissed, but she didn't look angry, in fact she looked highly amused.

"You did say you were nipping down to give her a hand." Kate smirked. She entered the pub first when they reached the door. It wasn't as packed as it could have been; half the street still stood and watched the fireworks; but the racket hadn't quietened. Glasses of champagne in varied stages of emptiness littered the bar and tables; Jenny had seen to it that no one went empty handed when the new year had rung in.

"Why aren't you in Ireland?" She demanded as soon as Michelle walked through the door. Johnny dropped the towel he was holding in shock. It was concern that flashed across his face at face, especially when he took in the pair's watery eyes and smudged mascara.

"Are you alright? Did something happen? Was your flight cancelled?" He fired straight away.

"No, calm down. Everything's fine." Carla assured him. She squeezed Michelle's hand; the nerves barely registered because it was mostly excitement that bubbled in her stomach. It almost felt too good to be true. "'Chelle's decided she's staying."

"Really? Ah that's great news love!" Johnny came from behind the bar and offered the younger brunette a hug. "I'm really pleased. What made you change your mind?"

Michelle had let go of Carla to hug the landlord and when he stepped back, she reached out for her again. She took a breath; her grip on Carla tightened but the other brunette stroked the back of her hand with her thumb. "I… I wanted to be with Carla."

"Well, it's not surprising really with how much you missed each other—" He began. But Carla shook her head and wrapped her arms around Michelle's waist.

"No—_dad…"_ She leant her head on the younger woman's shoulder and gazed at him imploringly.

Johnny glanced at them both; the pointed expression on Carla's face, the anxiety plastered on Michelle's face and his own expression softened as he gave a small nod.

"I know… I _know." _

"Hang on—How?" Carla frowned, lifting her head from Michelle's shoulder.

Johnny laughed; his brow raised. "Carla, love, give me credit. I might be getting old but I'm not going daft. I notice things."

"Like what?" Michelle questioned, looking just as confused as Carla.

"Like the way you both pined for one another, the way you act together." He paused for a second and cleared his throat. "That and uh…I came down for a drink on your first night, 'Chelle; I saw the lights were still on and I thought Jenny had been too drunk to turn them off—"

His wife cut him off with a tut and a gentle slap to his shoulder. Michelle's eyes widened slightly and she glanced to Carla, who had clearly guessed where he was heading.

"—So, I nipped out to check and found the bar wasn't empty. You were—in the booth—"

"Oh, God…" Carla groaned; her hands covered her face in embarrassment.

"I turned around and made myself scarce."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jenny asked, gobsmacked.

"Yeah, dad!" Kate piped up, looking just as shocked as Jenny and mildly offended.

"Because it wasn't my business!" Johnny spoke as if it was obvious, shooting both Kate and Jenny a reproachful look. "Besides, I didn't exactly know what I'd seen." He turned back to the pair; who both looked awkward. "I thought you could have been leathered—"

"I don't drink!" Carla protested, and to her surprise Michelle let out a bark of laughter.

"No, he thought I'd have to be leathered to kiss you." She teased, successfully earning herself a dig in the side from Carla.

"No chance. He thought you'd need to be leathered to pluck up the courage to—"

"Now look what you've started." Ryan chuckled as the two women bickered good-naturedly, before finally settling their argument with a quick peck on the lips. When she pulled away, Carla shot Johnny a nervous glance.

"You're okay with…"

"You make each other happy and that's all that matters to me." At the relieved look on Michelle's face, he stepped forward and hugged them, an arm around each one. "I love you both."

There was a pop from behind them that caused the trio to jump. Michelle rolled her eyes; Jenny was stood with a huge grin across her face, another bottle of champagne overflowing in her hands.

"Double celebration!"

Carla turned to Michelle; her hands wrapped loosely around her waist. "I can't believe you came back…" Her eyes filled and she quickly tried to blink them away. "God, you aren't half running rings around me." She teased, but Michelle suddenly looked guilty.

"I know, and I am _so _sorry. You've been so understanding, you've been amazing." Michelle whispered; the sincerity burned in her eyes. "I swear to you, I'm never going to hurt you again, I'm never going to leave you again. It's me and you, now, okay?"

Carla's eyes had filled again, but she just about managed to keep tears from falling. Her heart was haywire in her chest, it pulsed with excitement and adrenaline flowed through her veins, it made her giddy. The smile across her face warmed the younger woman; it was genuine happiness; it wasn't something she'd seen often. She cupped her cheek, brought her head against Carla's and kissed her softly.

"Hang on; our anniversary isn't going to be New Years Day, is it?" Carla wrinkled her nose, looking put out. Michelle shook her head, a grin spreading across her face. It felt strange to think that's what they would have, further down the line. An anniversary, a future they were going to build. She met her gaze, she felt dizzy with happiness. Not confused, not scared; just certain.

"I love you, so much." She whispered, settling her other hand at the back of her neck. "Happy new year…"

Carla tipped her chin; Michelle had looked at her that way for years; that smile, that head tilt and she thought maybe the pair of them wished they'd realised sooner. But it didn't matter, because she was here now. She was staying.

"I love you too, darlin', with everything I have…" She murmured. Carla broke their gaze only to press her lips against the younger woman's forehead. "Happy new year."

**|X|X|X|**

Carla stepped out of the bathroom, a robe synched around her waist and a towel wrapped around her hair. Michelle was still asleep, at least that's what it looked like in the dull light that spilled from the bedside lamp. She was in the same position Carla had left her in, only the duvet was pulled further above her head. The clock read three minutes past seven, it was still dark outside. She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the towel from her head. As she pulled her hair to one side and rubbed it between the fabric, the mattress lurched behind her and Michelle's arms were suddenly around her. The younger woman immediately attacked her neck with kisses and Carla let out a hum of laughter as she tilted her head to the side and allowed her better access. Michelle nipped at her skin playfully; lathing the area with her tongue which trailed a line up to her ear.

"Happy Birthday." She whispered, and bit down lightly on her lobe.

Carla gasped, the towel fell from her hands and she turned to catch her lips in a hard kiss. They moved back into the middle of the bed; Michelle's hands seized the loose knot in the centre of her robes and pulled it loose.

"Says who?" Carla smirked, her hands trailed down the silky night dress Michelle was wearing, the material enticing against her skin.

"You, when I've finished." Michelle promised. She placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders and pushed her firmly against the pillows. They locked eyes as she straddled her waist; Michelle searched her gaze for any sign of hesitance. Carla reached up, brushed a reassuring hand over her cheek and Michelle resumed their kiss. The tip of her tongue flicked against her lower lip and Carla parted her mouth with a groan, allowing it to deepen. Michelle's hands parted her robe further and scratched lightly along her stomach; she felt the muscled tense beneath her hand and inched it down. Carla's skin was still damp from her shower and her fingertips glided easily down her frame. They circled her hipbone, dipped to her inner thigh and stopped, along with the noises Carla had been releasing into their kiss.

"Don't torment me." She murmured. Carla pushed her hips up slightly, trying to inch her way closer to where Michelle's hand had settled.

The younger woman used her other to stroke her hair back; this time she kissed her softly, allowed her lips to linger. When she pulled back, she touched her forehead to hers momentarily; nudged their noses together. Carla swallowed; she was looking at her with so much care in her eyes, it caused goosebumps to erupt over her skin.

"God, you're beautiful." Michelle whispered.

Carla's skin burned and she tried to cover just how much the comment had affected her by shrugging her shoulders.

"And you were actually going to leave me." She smirked, causing the younger woman to scoff and shake her head.

"Three days you've been throwing that one at me. You not tired of it yet?" Michelle grinned. She trailed a fingertip further inwards and Carla's breath hitched.

"Keep going and I'll shut up." Carla suggested, tilting her chin so her mouth bumped into the younger woman's. "Otherwise I'll just go on… and on…and—" A sharp cry tore from her throat. Michelle's fingertips had run down the length of her and swiftly entered, and Carla was more than ready to accommodate them. The younger brunette bit her lip as she observed the woman below her; mouth parted, eyes closed, head tilted back so her throat was exposed. She moved down and pressed her lips against it and Carla trembled.

"'Chelle…" She pushed up against her, because she hadn't yet moved and it was torture. "'Chelle, please…"

"Please, what?" She murmured against her skin; the tip of her tongue flicked against her pulse point and she let out a sigh.

"Do something."

Michelle chuckled quietly; Carla's tone was firm, she sounded threatening. She started to move against her, her strokes slow and deliberate. Carla hummed her approval and coaxed Michelle back to her mouth, kissing her in the same way. But she wasn't satisfied for long, and the younger woman hadn't expected her to be. Her tongue probed and she hooked one her legs around her, trying to pull her closer to her body.

"What do you want?"

"_Michelle."_ She spoke through gritted teeth and the younger woman pulled back slightly.

"I will do it… I just… I like hearing you talk." Michelle admitted, meeting the other woman's eyes. They darkened as her brow quirked. A sultry smirk stretched across Carla's face and she was sure the younger woman had blushed as she spoke.

"Okay." Carla propped herself up slightly, glanced down at her hand and then stretched up until her lips were by her ear. "Harder."

As soon as she complied, Carla cried out, the previous dull ache of pleasure suddenly heightening. She wrapped her arms around Michelle's neck and held her, her brow furrowed before she decided against trying to force back another murmur of approval.

"Do you like that?" Michelle checked.

"Does it seem like I don't?" Carla tried to quip, but another ripple of pleasure caused her head to loll back and her eyes closed. "Mm…keep going…"

Michelle resumed the path of kisses along her throat, scattered them over her jaw, while the other woman rolled against her hand and dug her nails into her back. She reached her lips and they kissed softly despite the intense heat between them, "I love seeing you like this, making you feel this way."

"You make me feel…_so _good." Carla managed to respond. Her breathing had accelerated dramatically, and she bit down on the younger woman's shoulder. She struggled to keep the gasps that tore from her throat to a minimal level. "I need more."

Michelle helped her adjust their position, bending her knee slightly as she altered the angle of her wrist. Her fingers curled and Carla cried out. She dropped back against the pillows and reached back to curl her hand around the headboard. "Oh god… right there." She allowed her head to fall back, stopped caring completely about the noise she was making. The wooden frame creaked dangerously as she gripped it harder, her brow furrowed. The same electric rush flowed through her again but this time she couldn't get enough of it. Maybe it was because the love in Michelle's eyes when she managed to force hers open was so prominent and certain or the care in her voice that made sure she only felt what she wanted to feel, or maybe it was because the last two days since Michelle had decided to stay she'd been too busy sorting it out that she hadn't had time to be nearly as physical as she'd wanted to be with her. Her body carried her closer to the edge and she flexed and strained and her frantic movement caused the bed to bump the wall but she didn't care. Michelle moved just as desperately as she did, desperate to make her _feel. _She brought her other hand down, sought out the raised bump just above where she continued to thrust to her and circled her fingertip against it. The shout she released at first contact almost made her pull away.

"Sorry, is that too—"

"No, no don't stop. Don't stop." Carla chanted the phrase repeatedly, uncontrollably. She placed her hand directly over Michelle's and pressed down firmly. She should have reminded her again about the noise, but she couldn't think about anything other than what she witnessed in front of her.

Carla's ecstasy was uncontained. She cried out repeatedly as wave after wave crashed over her body. Michelle watched her writhe against the sheets, the way her skin glistened when she moved and caught the light. She wanted to hold her, but both of her hands were occupied making sure that she drew out every ounce of the other woman's pleasure. She continued her slowed movements until her cries had stopped and she quivered against the sheets; then she crawled up the bed and curled her body around Carla's. She wrapped her arms around her waist and pressed kisses against her shoulder, while the older brunette panted and tried to catch her breath.

"I think you've sprained the headboard." It was leaning at an odd angle, dipped a little too forwards.

Carla let out a laugh and turned over. Her hair had hair had already been damp, but strands were stuck to her forehead where beads of perspiration gathered. She glowed; her eyes bright and her skin glittered; a wide grin spread across her face when she finally gained some form of control over herself.

"Kiss me…"

"Still making demands?" Michelle teased as she dipped her head and did exactly that.

"it's my birthday." Carla grinned, sliding her hand beneath her hair. "The best birthday I've had in a long time and it's not even eight o'clock."

"That's early." Michelle raised her brow suggestively. "Wanna do it again?"

"I'm going to need another shower at the end of this, aren't I?"

"We can do it in the shower."

"We can do it again here and then in the shower."

**|X|X|X|**

"Just grab the other end of that sheet and tuck it in please." Michelle pointed to it and Carla rolled her eyes, putting down her hairbrush.

"Don't look at me like that. It's your fault the bedding needs changing." She tried to look stern, but the smug smirk that formed across her lips gave her away. They were both, finally, fully showered and dressed and Michelle had taken a look at the headboard and concluded three seconds later that she had no idea how to fix it.

"We're going to have to ask Johnny…" She grimaced; her nose wrinkled at the thought. "I'll tell him it's been like that since I arrived."

Carla nodded in agreement and tucked the sheet into the mattress. Something beneath the bed buzzed and she reached under, pulling out her mobile, "Oh… How did it end up there?" She laughed, though the grin soon slid off her face when she glanced at the screen. "Ah."

"What?"

She didn't answer, just pressed her lips together guiltily as a blush formed over her cheeks.

Michelle walked around to her and peered at the screen. Her eyes widened and she started to read the string of text messages from Kate.

_07:15: 'If I'd have wanted a wake-up call at this time, I'd have set an alarm. Be quiet.'_

_07:27: 'Omg seriously please shut up I don't need to hear that'_

_07:38: 'jesus carla just text me when it's safe to remove my earphones'_

_07:42: 'IF THAT BED COMES THROUGH MY WALL I SWEAR TO GOD'_

_08:22: 'OMG LITERALLY EVERYONE DOWNSTAIRS CAN HEAR U BOTH!'_

"She's exaggerating…." Carla protested as she erased the messages from her screen.

"Come on, we better go down…" Michelle reached out for her hand and lead her from the bedroom. They were only halfway down the steps and the kitchen radio could already be heard. Jenny must have chosen the channel because it was a cheesy romance song that caused her ears to bleed when she pushed the door open.

"_Happy Birthday!" _Cried several voices at once when Carla ended. She grinned as she took the scene in; Johnny and Jenny at the breakfast table with mugs and a Victoria sponge that had two candles stuck on top in the shape of numbers four and five; there were two small wrapped boxes beside it. Kate and Ryan were on the on the sofa where the former had once again inflicted her travelling snaps on him. She closed the album when Carla appeared and got up to hug her.

"Do you two want a brew?" Jenny all but shouted over the music and Carla scrunched her face.

"What? I can't hear myself think in here." She walked over to the radio and turned the dial to an acceptable level. "That's better. You all deaf or summat?"

"No but we wished we were about half an hour ago." Kate smirked. "Decent lay-in?"

Carla fought to keep her expression passive. Johnny had spread out the tabloid newspaper and disappeared behind It; his nose practically brushed the fine print. He cleared his throat and turned the page, remaining submerged in the articles.

"I—Yeah, actually. Haven't slept in for ages."

"Took these lot ages to realise I was at the door because of that music." Ryan frowned, shooting his mother and Carla a reproachful look. "I was out in the cold, banging and shouting—"

Kate choked on her drink, spraying the mouthful down her front. When Ryan realised what he'd said he too roared with laughter and tried to pat her on the back.

"So were _they_." She wheezed, struggling to form the words which only set the pair off harder. She clutched at her stomach.

"Alright! We don't need that kind of talk at breakfast." Carla relented and finally gave her attention to the two of them, pointing a warning finger at the pair. Johnny got up from his seat and muttered something about getting refills for everyone. He picked up the coffee pot and shuffled into the kitchen.

Michelle was sat in the armchair, she hadn't spoken but her face was flushed with embarrassment, but a tiny, uncontrolled part of her felt smug that Carla had been so responsive to her. The older brunette caught her eye and she looked away quickly. But she knew she'd caught it, the glint in her eye. She swore there'd been a mirrored hint of a smirk on her lips. Carla walked over to the kitchen table to pick up the small stack of cards that were piled next to the cake; her name was scrawled across all four of them.

"Is it not even a little bit weird though?" Ryan suddenly piped up. "I mean, I really don't think I could actually sleep with you, I've known you too long."

"R_yan!" _Michelle shouted across to him; unsure whether she was disgusted or offended at the inappropriate comment he'd directed towards Carla.

The older brunette quirked her brow in confusion; but didn't seem too perturbed. "I… actually don't know how to respond to that one, Ryan."

"Oh, don't be offended—"

"I _wasn't!"_ Carla spluttered incredulously; as if t_hat _was the issue.

He grinned, clearly purposely winding them up at this point and the look on his face suggested it was entertaining him immensely. "I didn't mean anything by it, just that I see you as my actual Aunty." He shrugged. "Don't worry, you're still a bobby dazzler. Especially for…" He glanced over at the cake. "_Fifty-four?"_

Carla's mouth dropped open. She marched over to him and wrapped her arm around his neck in a firm headlock, rubbing her knuckles against his head. "You want to say that again?" She smirked, clutching him tighter as he tried to fend her off. "'Chelle, can I have permission to batter your kid?"

"She's having a senior episode!" Ryan teased, still trying to escape her clutches. "It happens to the best of us with age."

"You're lucky I'm fond of you." She tutted, finally releasing him and instead giving him a quick hug.

"Want us to budge up?" He started to shuffle towards Kate, but Carla shook her head. She picked up her cards once more and made her way over to where Michelle was sat. Picking up on her intentions, the younger woman sat back and allowed Carla to slide into her lap. She wrapped one arm loosely around her waist; the other reached out and accepted the mug Jenny pressed into her hand with a nod of thanks.

"You've got another card to come from Roy and Nina." Jenny told her, as she handed her the other mug. "He said he's going to nip in with it around lunch time. Or maybe he changed his mind…" Jenny suddenly frowned; there was definitely someone knocking on the door.

"I'll grab it." Kate jumped up and made her way through to the bar. They heard the muffled conversation between her and someone at the door.

"Doesn't sound like Roy." Carla shrugged, putting it down to the milkman or a hopeful early punter. She sipped from her mug and wrinkled her nose slightly; too much milk, Jenny was always a little heavy handed.

She was about to start on her cards when Kate pushed the door open.

"Look at these!" She held a sleek, black, marbled hat box in her hands; a glossy black, satin ribbon tied around its body, tied just below the golden logo of the company they were purchased from. From it an explosion of full, vibrant roses bloomed, a contrast of deep reds and soft champagne; the arrangement decorated with oversized pearl balls.

"Oh, I forgot about them..." Michelle suddenly spoke out as Kate handed them to Carla.

"What?" Carla took the box from Kate and poured over the elegant display, trying to find a label card.

"I thought I'd be in Ireland for your birthday, so I went into the shop and arranged for these to be sent here, today…"

Carla finally managed to locate a small envelope tucked away neatly below the flowers and pulled out a small piece of blotted card, the message written in swirling black letters.

_When given the chance to grow_

_look how beautiful they bloomed_

_Happy birthday, my darling. I'll see you very soon._

_All my love, forever_

_Michelle _

"Aw, that's lovely." Jenny simpered, before giving Johnny a very pointed nudge in the side. "Isn't that a _lovely _thing to do for someone? Someone you love and appreciate…."

Johnny rolled his eyes; but offered his wife a fond smile. "Yeah, it is." He laughed, sliding his arm around her shoulders.

Carla carefully tucked the note away, biting her lip. She glanced back over the arrangement, ran her fingertips over the soft, cool petals.

"Forever?" She murmured, quietly.

"Of course, forever." Michelle laughed; she pressed a soft kiss against her cheek and leant her chin on her shoulder. "What, did you think this was just a quick flash in the pan before I run off into the sunset with my other soulmate?"

Carla laced her fingers with the younger woman's and turned her head until it rested lightly against hers. "I love you…"

"I love you, too." Michelle whispered. She was conscious of their audience, but it was only a very delicate kiss she pressed against the other woman's mouth. Carla raised a hand to her cheek, thumb stroking over her skin. It was soft and brief, but somehow just as intimate as every moment they'd spent together that morning. When she pulled away, she tucked her head beneath Michelle's chin and sighed contently. It was one of those times she wanted to stay in forever and soak up every moment. She caught Johnny's eye and he smiled at her warmly; from the corner of hers she caught Ryan as he rolled his eyes, but then he exchanged a pleased grin with Kate, and she knew they were secretly happy at the turn of events.

"Right, come on." Michelle tapped her gently and nodded towards the table. "Get opening the rest of your presents."

**a/n: Thank you for reading! Honestly there was so much more I wanted to cram in, but I was struggling for time and I never can seem to just keep things short. That was the final part of my impromptu, self-inflicted (but enjoyable) Christmas project. Enjoy 2020!**


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